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A key figure from Donald Trump's senior advisors has ramped up the pressure on the Danish government by questioning Denmark's sovereign claim to the vast Arctic island.

Military Intervention Dismissed

Stephen Miller, also claimed the use of armed force would not be required to take over the northern landmass 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.

Miller further proposed 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.

Growing Tensions

These remarks come amid growing tensions between the two NATO allies after the US president’s renewed calls to acquire Greenland.

A key parliamentary committee in Denmark has called an extraordinary meeting to examine the bilateral ties with the United States.

In his interview, Miller told CNN that control over Greenland could be gained without armed conflict due to its small population.

Challenging Copenhagen's Rule

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

Miller continued: “As the leading power within the power of NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to safeguard the alliance, it is logical that Greenland should be part of the US.”

There was, he said “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.”

International Reactions

These statements came after Trump said over the weekend, following events in Venezuela, that the US needed Greenland “very badly”.

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

The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a forceful rebuke, urging Trump to give up his “notions of acquisition” and accused the US of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Background and Present Position

The aide's assertions came after his wife, a conservative commentator, shared a map on social media of Greenland draped in a US flag with the caption “SOON”.

Asked about the online image, he laughed and said: “It has been the formal position of the US government from the start of this presidency... Donald Trump has been very clear about that.”

The territory was under colonial rule until 1953, when it was integrated of the Danish realm. The US maintains a strategic installation there, important for 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 prospect of acquisition talk, Greenland in March formed a new unity government in a demonstration of solidarity, with its founding document declaring: “Greenland belongs to us.”