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One of Donald Trump’s top aides has increased tensions on Denmark by challenging Copenhagen’s claim to the vast Arctic island.

Force Deemed Unnecessary

The president’s deputy chief of staff, stated emphatically the use of armed force would not be necessary to take over the northern landmass because “no nation would engage the United States in combat over the fate of Greenland”.

“The idea of military action against Greenland? Greenland has 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 valid claim to the territory, which is a former Danish colony and continues as a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Growing Tensions

These remarks come amid growing tensions between the US and Denmark after the US president’s renewed calls to purchase Greenland.

The Danish foreign policy committee has convened an emergency session to examine the bilateral ties with the United States.

Speaking to media, Miller told CNN that control over Greenland could be gained without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

“The core issue is what right does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland? What legal foundation of their ownership claim?” Miller questioned.

Miller continued: “The US is the power of 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 requirement to even think or talk about” a armed takeover in Greenland, adding: “Nobody is going to fight the US militarily.”

Global Responses

These statements followed Trump remarked recently, fresh from 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 NATO ally 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 abandon his “fantasies about annexation” and accused the US of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

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

When questioned on the social media post, he laughed and said: “This has represented the official stance of the US government since the beginning of this administration... Donald Trump has been explicit about that.”

The territory remained a colony until 1953, when it was integrated 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 growing support for self-rule, especially following disclosures about Denmark’s treatment of the local population.

But amid the spectre of acquisition talk, Greenland in March established a new unity government in a demonstration of solidarity, with its founding document declaring: “We are the rightful owners of Greenland.”