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

Military Intervention Dismissed

The president’s deputy chief of staff, also claimed the use of armed force would not be needed to assume control of 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 territory, which is a former Danish colony and continues as a constituent country of the Danish kingdom.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

Miller’s comments follow a period of increasing friction between the two NATO allies after the American leader's repeated interest 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 military intervention due to its small population.

Challenging Copenhagen's Rule

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

Miller continued: “The US is the dominant force in 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 requirement to even think or talk about” a armed takeover in Greenland, adding: “Nobody is going to fight the US over this issue.”

Global Responses

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

Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by warning that an attack by the US a fellow alliance member would mean the collapse of the defensive pact and “the postwar security order”.

The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a forceful rebuke, urging Trump to give up his “notions of acquisition” and labeled American rhetoric of being “completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Background and Present Position

The aide's assertions were preceded by his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, posted a digital image of Greenland under a US flag with the tag “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

When questioned on the online image, he responded by stating: “It has been the formal position of the US government since the beginning of this administration... Donald Trump has been very clear about that.”

The territory was under colonial rule until 1953, when it was integrated of the kingdom of Denmark. The US has had a military base there, important for its ballistic missile early warning system.

Recently, there has been growing support for self-rule, particularly after revelations about historical policies of Greenlandic people.

But amid the prospect of Trump’s threat, Greenland in March formed a new coalition government in a show of national unity, with its founding document declaring: “We are the rightful owners of Greenland.”