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A key figure from Donald Trump's senior advisors has increased tensions on the Danish government by disputing Denmark's sovereign claim to Greenland.

Force Deemed Unnecessary

Stephen Miller, stated emphatically military intervention would not be necessary to take over the northern landmass because “no nation would engage the United States militarily over the fate of Greenland”.

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

He also suggested that Copenhagen lacks a valid claim to the region, which is a former Danish colony and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Growing Tensions

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 convened an emergency session to examine the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

Speaking to media, Miller told CNN that control over Greenland could be gained without military intervention due to its small population.

Challenging Copenhagen's Rule

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

He added: “As the leading power within the power of NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to defend NATO, obviously Greenland should be part of the US.”

There was, he said “no requirement to even think or talk about” a armed takeover in Greenland, adding: “No country would wage war against the US militarily.”

Global Responses

These statements came after Trump said over the weekend, fresh from other foreign policy actions, that the US needed Greenland “urgently”.

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

The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a forceful rebuke, calling on the US president to abandon his “fantasies about annexation” and labeled American rhetoric of being “completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

The aide's assertions came after his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, shared 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... The president has been explicit about that.”

The territory remained a colony until 1953, when it became part of the Danish realm. The US maintains a military base there, important for its national missile defense network.

In recent years, there has been growing support for Greenlandic independence, particularly after revelations about Denmark’s treatment of the local population.

But amid the prospect of acquisition talk, Greenland in March formed a new unity government in a demonstration of solidarity, with its agreement stating: “We are the rightful owners of Greenland.”