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One of Donald Trump’s senior advisors has increased tensions on the Danish government by disputing Denmark's sovereign claim to Greenland.

Military Intervention Dismissed

Stephen Miller, stated emphatically military intervention would not be needed to take over the Arctic territory because “nobody is going to fight the United States in combat over the future of Greenland”.

“What do you mean military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just 30,000 inhabitants people,” he incorrectly stated, the correct number being closer to 57,000.

Miller further proposed that Copenhagen lacks a valid claim to the region, which is a one-time colonial possession and continues as a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

These remarks come amid increasing friction between the US and Denmark after the US president’s renewed calls to annex Greenland.

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

Speaking to media, Miller asserted that control over Greenland could be achieved without military intervention due to its small population.

Challenging Copenhagen's Rule

“The core issue is on what grounds does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland? What legal foundation of their ownership 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.”

There was, he said “no requirement to even consider or discuss” a armed takeover in Greenland, reiterating: “Nobody is going to fight the US militarily.”

International Reactions

His comments came after Trump remarked recently, fresh from 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 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 give up his “fantasies about annexation” and labeled American rhetoric of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

The aide's assertions came after his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, shared a digital image of Greenland draped in a US flag with the caption “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

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... Donald Trump has been very clear about that.”

The territory remained a colony until 1953, when it became part of the Danish realm. The US has had a strategic installation there, critical to its ballistic missile early warning system.

Recently, there has been increasing sentiment for self-rule, especially following revelations about Denmark’s treatment of Greenlandic people.

But amid the prospect of Trump’s threat, Greenland in March established a new coalition government in a demonstration of solidarity, with its agreement stating: “Greenland belongs to us.”