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One of Donald Trump’s top aides has ramped up the pressure on Denmark by disputing Denmark's sovereign claim to Greenland.

Military Intervention Dismissed

Stephen Miller, also claimed military intervention would not be needed to take over the northern landmass because “no nation would engage the United States militarily over the future of Greenland”.

“The idea of military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just a population of 30,000 people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, the correct number being closer to 57,000.

Miller further proposed that Denmark does not have a valid claim to the region, which is a one-time colonial possession and continues as a constituent country of the Danish kingdom.

Growing Tensions

Miller’s comments follow a period of increasing friction between the US and Denmark after the US president’s renewed calls to annex Greenland.

A key parliamentary committee in Denmark has called an emergency session to discuss the bilateral ties with the United States.

In his interview, Miller told CNN that control over Greenland could be achieved without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

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

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 incorporated into the United States.”

He stated there was “no need to even consider or discuss” a armed takeover in Greenland, reiterating: “No country would wage war against the US over this issue.”

Global Responses

His comments followed Trump remarked recently, fresh from other foreign policy actions, that the US desired the territory “urgently”.

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by saying that an American aggression against a fellow alliance member would mean the collapse of the defensive pact and “the postwar security order”.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a strong statement, urging Trump to abandon his “fantasies about annexation” and accused the US of being “completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

Miller’s comments came after his wife, a conservative commentator, shared 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: “This has represented the official stance of the US government from the start of this presidency... The president has been very clear about that.”

The territory remained a colony until 1953, when it became part of the kingdom of Denmark. The US maintains a strategic installation there, critical to its ballistic missile early warning system.

Recently, there has been increasing sentiment for self-rule, especially following disclosures about Denmark’s treatment of the local population.

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