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One of Donald Trump’s senior advisors has ramped up the pressure on Denmark by questioning Copenhagen’s claim to Greenland.

Force Deemed Unnecessary

Stephen Miller, stated emphatically military intervention would not be needed to assume control of the northern landmass because “no nation would engage the United States in combat over the fate of Greenland”.

“What do you mean military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just 30,000 inhabitants people,” he incorrectly stated, despite the actual figure being closer to 57,000.

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

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

These remarks come amid growing tensions between the US and Denmark after the US president’s renewed calls to purchase Greenland.

The Danish foreign policy committee has called an emergency session to discuss the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

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

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

“The core issue is on what grounds does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland? What legal foundation of their territorial claim?” Miller questioned.

He added: “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.”

He stated there was “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.”

Global Responses

His comments followed Trump remarked recently, fresh from events in Venezuela, that the US needed Greenland “urgently”.

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, responded by warning that an American aggression against a fellow alliance member would mean the end of the defensive pact and “the postwar security order”.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a strong statement, calling on the US president to give up 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, posted 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: “This has represented the official stance of the US government since the beginning of this administration... The president has been explicit about that.”

The territory was under colonial rule until 1953, when it became part of the kingdom of Denmark. The US maintains a strategic installation there, critical to its ballistic missile early warning system.

In recent years, there has been growing support for self-rule, especially following revelations about Denmark’s treatment of the local population.

But amid the prospect of acquisition talk, Greenland in March established a new coalition government in a show of national unity, with its founding document declaring: “We are the rightful owners of Greenland.”