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

Military Intervention Dismissed

The president’s deputy chief of staff, also claimed military intervention 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”.

“The idea of military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just a population of 30,000 people,” he incorrectly stated, despite the actual figure being closer to 57,000.

He also suggested 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 purchase Greenland.

A key parliamentary committee in Denmark has called an emergency session to discuss the bilateral ties with the United States.

Speaking to media, Miller told CNN that dominion of the island could be gained without military intervention due to its limited number of residents.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

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

He added: “The US is the power of NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to defend NATO, obviously Greenland should be part of the US.”

There was, he said “no need to even think or talk about” a armed takeover in Greenland, reiterating: “No country would wage war against the US over this issue.”

Global Responses

His comments came after Trump remarked recently, following other foreign policy actions, that the US desired the territory “very badly”.

Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, responded by warning that an American aggression against 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 strong statement, calling on the US president to abandon his “fantasies about annexation” and accused the US of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Background and Present Position

Miller’s comments were preceded by his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, posted a map on social media of Greenland draped in a US flag with the tag “SOON”.

When questioned on the online image, he laughed and said: “It has been the official stance of the US government since the start of this presidency... The president has been very clear about that.”

The territory remained a colony until 1953, when it was integrated of the Danish realm. The US has had a military base there, critical to its national missile defense network.

In recent years, there has been increasing sentiment for Greenlandic independence, especially following disclosures about Denmark’s treatment of Greenlandic people.

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