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A key figure from Donald Trump's top aides has ramped up the pressure on the Danish government by questioning Denmark's sovereign claim to Greenland.

Force Deemed Unnecessary

The president’s deputy chief of staff, also claimed military intervention would not be required to assume control of the northern landmass because “no nation would engage the United States militarily over the fate of Greenland”.

“The idea of military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just a population of 30,000 people,” he incorrectly stated, despite the actual figure being closer to 57,000.

Miller further proposed that Denmark does not have a legitimate right to the region, which is a former Danish colony and continues as a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark.

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

In his interview, 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 what right does Denmark have to exercise sovereignty over Greenland? What legal foundation of their territorial claim?” Miller questioned.

He added: “As the leading power within the dominant force in NATO. For the US to protect Arctic interests 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 armed takeover in Greenland, reiterating: “Nobody is going to fight the US militarily.”

Global Responses

His comments followed Trump remarked recently, 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 end of the defensive pact and “post-Second World War security”.

The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a forceful rebuke, calling on the US president to give up his “notions of acquisition” and accused the US of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

Miller’s comments were preceded by 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 social media post, he laughed and said: “This has represented the formal position of the US government since the beginning of this administration... Donald Trump has been very clear about that.”

The territory was under colonial rule until 1953, when it became part of the kingdom of Denmark. The US has had a military base there, important for its ballistic missile early warning system.

Recently, there has been increasing sentiment for Greenlandic independence, especially following revelations about historical policies of Greenlandic people.

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.”