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A key figure from Donald Trump's top aides has ramped up the pressure on Denmark by challenging Denmark's sovereign claim to Greenland.

Force Deemed Unnecessary

Stephen Miller, stated emphatically the use of armed force would not be required to assume control of the Arctic territory because “nobody is going to fight the United States in combat over the fate of Greenland”.

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

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

Growing Tensions

These remarks follow a period of increasing friction between the two NATO allies after the US president’s renewed calls to annex Greenland.

The Danish foreign policy committee has convened an extraordinary meeting to examine the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

In his interview, Miller asserted that dominion of the island could be gained without military intervention due to its small population.

Challenging Copenhagen's Rule

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

Miller continued: “As the leading power within the dominant force in NATO. For the US to protect Arctic interests to defend NATO, obviously Greenland should be part of the US.”

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

Global Responses

These statements followed Trump said over the weekend, following other foreign policy actions, that the US needed Greenland “urgently”.

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”.

The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a forceful rebuke, urging Trump to give up his “fantasies about annexation” and labeled American rhetoric of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Background and Present Position

The aide's assertions were preceded by his wife, a conservative commentator, shared a map on social media of Greenland under a US flag with the tag “SOON”.

When questioned on the online image, he laughed and said: “This has represented the formal position of the US government from the beginning of this administration... The president has been very clear about that.”

Greenland was under colonial rule until 1953, when it was integrated of the kingdom of Denmark. The US maintains a military base there, important for its national missile defense network.

Recently, there has been increasing sentiment for Greenlandic independence, particularly after revelations about historical policies of the local population.

However, facing the spectre of Trump’s threat, Greenland in March established a new unity government in a demonstration of solidarity, with its founding document declaring: “Greenland belongs to us.”