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

Military Intervention Dismissed

Stephen Miller, stated emphatically the use of armed force would not be needed to assume control of the northern landmass because “no nation would engage 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.

Miller further proposed that Copenhagen lacks a valid claim to the territory, which is a one-time colonial possession and continues as a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

These remarks follow a period of growing tensions between the US and Denmark after the US president’s renewed calls to acquire Greenland.

A key parliamentary committee in Denmark has convened an extraordinary meeting to examine the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

Speaking to media, Miller asserted that dominion of the island could be achieved without armed conflict due to its small population.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

“The real question is on what grounds does Denmark have to exercise sovereignty over Greenland? What is the basis of their ownership claim?” Miller questioned.

He added: “As the leading power within the dominant force in NATO. For the US to protect Arctic interests to safeguard the alliance, obviously 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: “Nobody is going to fight the US militarily.”

International Reactions

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

Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, responded by saying that an American aggression against a NATO ally would mean the collapse of the military alliance and “post-Second World War security”.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a forceful rebuke, calling on the US president to abandon his “notions of acquisition” and accused the US of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Background and Present Position

Miller’s comments came after his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, shared a map on social media of Greenland draped in a US flag with the tag “SOON”.

Asked about the social media post, he laughed and said: “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 was under colonial rule until 1953, when it became part of the kingdom of Denmark. The US maintains a military base there, critical to its ballistic missile early warning system.

In recent years, there has been increasing sentiment 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 show of national unity, with its agreement stating: “Greenland belongs to us.”