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

Force Deemed Unnecessary

Stephen Miller, stated emphatically military intervention would not be required to take over the Arctic territory because “nobody is going to fight the United States in combat over the future of Greenland”.

“What do you mean 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.

He also suggested that Copenhagen lacks a legitimate right to the region, which is a former Danish colony and continues as a constituent country of the Danish kingdom.

Growing Tensions

Miller’s comments follow a period of growing tensions between the two NATO allies after the US president’s renewed calls to annex Greenland.

The Danish foreign policy committee 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.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

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

He added: “As the leading power within the power of NATO. For the US to protect Arctic interests to safeguard the alliance, it is logical that Greenland should be incorporated into the United States.”

There was, he said “no requirement to even consider or discuss” a armed takeover in Greenland, adding: “Nobody is going to fight the US over this issue.”

Global Responses

His comments followed Trump remarked recently, following events in Venezuela, 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”.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a strong statement, urging Trump to abandon his “notions of acquisition” and accused the US of being “completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Background and Present Position

Miller’s comments were preceded by his wife, a conservative commentator, shared a map on social media of Greenland under a US flag with the tag “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

Asked about the social media post, he responded by stating: “It has been the official stance of the US government since the beginning of this administration... Donald Trump has been very clear about that.”

Greenland remained a colony until 1953, when it was integrated of the Danish realm. The US has had 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 historical policies of Greenlandic people.

However, facing the spectre 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.”