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One of Donald Trump’s top aides has ramped up the pressure on the Danish government by challenging Copenhagen’s claim to the vast Arctic island.

Military Intervention Dismissed

The president’s deputy chief of staff, stated emphatically military intervention would not be required to assume control of the Arctic territory because “nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland”.

“The idea of military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just 30,000 inhabitants people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, the correct number being closer to 57,000.

Miller further proposed that Copenhagen lacks a valid claim to the territory, which is a one-time colonial possession and remains part of the Danish kingdom.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

These remarks follow a period of increasing friction between the US and Denmark after the American leader's repeated interest to annex Greenland.

A key parliamentary committee in Denmark has called an extraordinary meeting to discuss the bilateral ties with the United States.

Speaking to media, Miller asserted that dominion of the island could be achieved without military intervention due to its small population.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

“The core issue is on what grounds does Denmark have to exercise sovereignty over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim?” Miller questioned.

Miller continued: “As the leading power within the power of NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to safeguard the alliance, obviously Greenland should be incorporated into the United States.”

There was, he said “no requirement to even consider or discuss” a military operation in Greenland, reiterating: “Nobody is going to fight the US militarily.”

International Reactions

These statements came after Trump remarked recently, following other foreign policy actions, that the US desired the territory “very badly”.

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by saying that an American aggression against a NATO ally would mean the end of the military alliance and “post-Second World War security”.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a strong statement, calling on the US president to abandon his “notions of acquisition” and labeled American rhetoric of being “completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Background and Present Position

Miller’s comments came after his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, posted a digital image of Greenland under a US flag with the caption “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

When questioned on the online image, he responded by stating: “It has been the formal position of the US government from the beginning of this administration... Donald Trump has been explicit about that.”

The territory remained a colony until 1953, when it was integrated of the Danish realm. The US has had a strategic installation there, important for its ballistic missile early warning system.

In recent years, there has been growing support for self-rule, particularly after disclosures about historical policies of the local population.

However, facing the spectre of acquisition talk, Greenland in March established a new unity government in a demonstration of solidarity, with its founding document declaring: “Greenland belongs to us.”