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A key figure from Donald Trump's senior advisors has ramped up the pressure on Denmark by challenging Copenhagen’s claim to Greenland.

Force Deemed Unnecessary

Stephen Miller, also claimed the use of armed force would not be required to assume control of the Arctic territory because “nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the fate of Greenland”.

“What do you mean military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just 30,000 inhabitants people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, the correct number being closer to 57,000.

He also suggested that Copenhagen lacks a legitimate right to the region, which is a one-time colonial possession and continues as a constituent country of the Danish kingdom.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

Miller’s comments come amid increasing friction between the US and Denmark after the US president’s renewed calls to purchase Greenland.

The Danish foreign policy committee has convened an extraordinary meeting to examine the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

In his interview, Miller told CNN that dominion of the island could be achieved without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents.

Challenging Copenhagen's Rule

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

Miller continued: “As the leading power within the dominant force in NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to defend NATO, obviously Greenland should be incorporated into the United States.”

There was, he said “no requirement to even think or talk about” a military operation in Greenland, adding: “No country would wage war against the US militarily.”

Global Responses

His comments came after Trump remarked recently, following other foreign policy actions, that the US needed Greenland “urgently”.

Denmark's leader, 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 forceful rebuke, calling on the US president to give up his “fantasies about annexation” and accused the US of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Background and Present Position

The aide's assertions were preceded by his wife, a conservative commentator, shared a digital image of Greenland draped in a US flag with the caption “SOON”.

When questioned on the social media post, he responded by stating: “This has represented the formal position of the US government since the beginning of this administration... The president has been very clear about that.”

Greenland remained a colony until 1953, when it was integrated of the kingdom of Denmark. The US maintains a military base there, critical to its national missile defense network.

In recent years, there has been increasing sentiment for Greenlandic independence, particularly after disclosures about Denmark’s treatment of the local population.

However, facing the prospect 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.”