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A key figure from Donald Trump's senior advisors has increased tensions on the Danish government by questioning Denmark's sovereign claim to Greenland.

Force Deemed Unnecessary

The president’s deputy chief of staff, also claimed the use of armed force would not be needed to take over the Arctic territory because “no nation would engage 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,” Miller inaccurately claimed, despite the actual figure being closer to 57,000.

He also suggested that Denmark does not have a valid claim to the region, which is a former Danish colony and remains part of the Danish kingdom.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

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

A key parliamentary committee in Denmark has convened an extraordinary meeting 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 is the basis of their territorial claim?” he asked.

He added: “As the leading power within the power of NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to safeguard the alliance, obviously Greenland should be part of the US.”

There was, he said “no need to even think or talk about” a military operation in Greenland, adding: “Nobody is going to fight the US over this issue.”

Global Responses

These statements followed Trump remarked recently, fresh from events in Venezuela, that the US needed Greenland “very badly”.

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by warning that an American aggression against a fellow alliance member would mean the collapse of the military alliance and “post-Second World War security”.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued 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

The aide's assertions came after his wife, a conservative commentator, shared a digital image of Greenland under a US flag with the tag “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

Asked about the social media post, he laughed and said: “It has been the official stance of the US government since the start of this presidency... The president has been explicit about that.”

Greenland was under colonial rule until 1953, when it became part of the kingdom of Denmark. The US has had a military base there, critical to its ballistic missile early warning system.

Recently, there has been increasing sentiment for Greenlandic independence, particularly after disclosures about historical policies of Greenlandic people.

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