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A key figure from Donald Trump's top aides has increased tensions on Denmark by disputing Copenhagen’s claim to the vast Arctic island.

Military Intervention Dismissed

Stephen Miller, stated emphatically the use of armed force would not be necessary to assume control of the northern landmass because “nobody is going to fight the United States in combat over the future of Greenland”.

“What do you mean military action against Greenland? Greenland has 30,000 inhabitants people,” he incorrectly stated, the correct number being closer to 57,000.

Miller further proposed that Copenhagen lacks a legitimate right to the region, which is a former Danish colony and remains part of the Danish kingdom.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

These remarks follow a period of growing tensions between the two NATO allies after the US president’s renewed calls to acquire Greenland.

A key parliamentary committee in Denmark has called an extraordinary meeting to discuss the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

In his interview, Miller told CNN that control over Greenland could be gained without armed conflict due to its small population.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

“The core issue is on what grounds does Denmark have to exercise sovereignty over Greenland? What legal foundation of their ownership claim?” he asked.

Miller continued: “As the leading power within the dominant force in 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 think or talk about” a military operation in Greenland, reiterating: “No country would wage war against the US militarily.”

Global Responses

These statements came after Trump remarked recently, fresh from other foreign policy actions, that the US needed Greenland “very badly”.

Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by warning that an American aggression against a NATO ally would mean the collapse of the military alliance and “post-Second World War security”.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a forceful rebuke, urging Trump to give up 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, a conservative commentator, posted a map on social media of Greenland under a US flag with the caption “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

Asked about the online image, he responded by stating: “This has represented the official stance of the US government from the start of this presidency... Donald Trump has been very clear about that.”

The territory remained a colony until 1953, when it was integrated of the kingdom of Denmark. The US has had a military base there, critical to its ballistic missile early warning system.

Recently, there has been increasing sentiment for Greenlandic independence, especially following disclosures about Denmark’s treatment of Greenlandic people.

However, facing the prospect of Trump’s threat, Greenland in March established a new coalition government in a show of national unity, with its agreement stating: “Greenland belongs to us.”