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

Military Intervention Dismissed

The president’s deputy chief of staff, stated emphatically the use of armed force would not be required to take over the northern landmass because “nobody is going to fight the United States in combat over the fate of Greenland”.

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

Miller further proposed that Copenhagen lacks a legitimate right to the territory, which is a former Danish colony and continues as a constituent country of the Danish kingdom.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

These remarks follow a period of increasing friction between the US and Denmark after the US president’s renewed calls to annex Greenland.

The Danish foreign policy committee has convened an extraordinary meeting to discuss the bilateral ties with the United States.

In his interview, Miller asserted that dominion of the island could be gained 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 legal foundation of their territorial claim?” Miller questioned.

Miller continued: “The US is the dominant force in NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to defend NATO, it is logical that Greenland should be part of the US.”

There was, he said “no need to even think or talk about” a military operation in Greenland, reiterating: “No country would wage war against the US over this issue.”

International Reactions

His comments came after Trump remarked recently, fresh from events in Venezuela, that the US desired the territory “urgently”.

Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, responded 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, urging Trump to abandon his “notions of acquisition” and accused the US of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Background and Present Position

The aide's assertions were preceded by his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, shared a map on social media of Greenland draped in a US flag with the tag “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

Asked about the social media post, he laughed and said: “This has represented the official stance of the US government since the start of this presidency... The president 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, critical to its national missile defense network.

Recently, there has been growing support for self-rule, particularly after disclosures about Denmark’s treatment of the local population.

But amid the prospect of Trump’s threat, Greenland in March established a new coalition government in a demonstration of solidarity, with its founding document declaring: “Greenland belongs to us.”