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One of Donald Trump’s senior advisors has ramped up the pressure 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 take over the northern landmass because “nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the future 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 Denmark does not have a legitimate right to the territory, which is a former Danish colony and remains part of the Danish kingdom.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

These remarks follow a period of increasing friction between the two NATO allies after the American leader's repeated interest to annex Greenland.

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

In his interview, Miller told CNN that control over Greenland could be achieved without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

“The core issue is what right does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their ownership claim?” he asked.

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 consider or discuss” a armed takeover in Greenland, reiterating: “Nobody is going to fight the US militarily.”

Global Responses

These statements came after Trump remarked recently, following events in Venezuela, that the US needed Greenland “very badly”.

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

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a strong statement, urging Trump to give up his “fantasies about annexation” and labeled American rhetoric of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Background and Present Position

Miller’s comments came after his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, shared a digital image of Greenland under a US flag with the tag “SOON”.

Asked about the social media post, he responded by stating: “It has been the formal position 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 maintains a strategic installation 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 spectre of acquisition talk, Greenland in March formed a new unity government in a demonstration of solidarity, with its founding document declaring: “We are the rightful owners of Greenland.”