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A key figure from Donald Trump's top aides has ramped up the pressure on the Danish government by questioning Copenhagen’s claim to Greenland.

Military Intervention Dismissed

Stephen Miller, also claimed the use of armed force 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? Greenland has 30,000 inhabitants people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, the correct number being closer to 57,000.

Miller further proposed that Copenhagen lacks a valid claim to the territory, which is a one-time colonial possession and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

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 emergency session to discuss the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

In his interview, Miller told CNN that dominion of the island could be achieved without armed conflict due to its small population.

Challenging Copenhagen's Rule

“The core issue is on what grounds does Denmark have to exercise sovereignty over Greenland? What legal foundation of their territorial claim?” Miller questioned.

Miller continued: “The US is the power of NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to safeguard the alliance, obviously Greenland should be part of the US.”

He stated there was “no requirement to even consider or discuss” a military operation in Greenland, reiterating: “Nobody is going to fight the US over this issue.”

International Reactions

These statements came after Trump remarked recently, following events in Venezuela, that the US desired the territory “very badly”.

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

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a forceful rebuke, calling on the US president to abandon his “notions of acquisition” and accused the US of being “completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

The aide's assertions came after his wife, a conservative commentator, shared a map on social media of Greenland draped in a US flag with the tag “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

Asked about the social media post, he laughed and said: “It has been the formal position of the US government from the start of this presidency... Donald Trump has been explicit about that.”

The territory was under colonial rule until 1953, when it was integrated of the kingdom of Denmark. The US maintains a strategic installation there, critical to its ballistic missile early warning system.

Recently, there has been growing support for Greenlandic independence, especially following disclosures about Denmark’s treatment of the local population.

But amid the spectre of acquisition talk, 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.”