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A key figure from Donald Trump's senior advisors has increased tensions on the Danish government by disputing Copenhagen’s claim to the vast Arctic island.

Military Intervention Dismissed

The president’s deputy chief of staff, also claimed the use of armed force would not be necessary to assume control of the northern landmass 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 a population of 30,000 people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, despite the actual figure being closer to 57,000.

He also suggested that Copenhagen lacks a valid claim to the region, which is a former Danish colony and continues as a constituent country of the Danish kingdom.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

These remarks come amid growing tensions between the two NATO allies after the American leader's repeated interest to acquire Greenland.

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

In his interview, Miller told CNN that control over Greenland could be achieved without military intervention due to its small population.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

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

Miller continued: “As the leading power within the power of NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to defend NATO, obviously Greenland should be incorporated into the United States.”

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

Global Responses

His comments followed Trump said over the weekend, following events in Venezuela, that the US desired the territory “very badly”.

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, responded by warning that an attack by the US a fellow alliance member would mean the collapse of the defensive pact and “post-Second World War security”.

Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a forceful rebuke, calling on the US president to abandon his “notions of acquisition” and labeled American rhetoric of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Background and Present Position

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

When questioned on the online image, he laughed and said: “It has been the official stance of the US government from the start of this presidency... Donald Trump has been explicit about that.”

Greenland remained a colony until 1953, when it was integrated 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 disclosures about Denmark’s treatment of the local population.

However, facing the spectre of Trump’s threat, Greenland in March established a new coalition government in a show of national unity, with its agreement stating: “Greenland belongs to us.”