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One of Donald Trump’s top aides has ramped up the pressure on Denmark by disputing Denmark's sovereign claim to Greenland.

Military Intervention Dismissed

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

“What do you mean military action against Greenland? Greenland has 30,000 inhabitants people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, despite the actual figure being closer to 57,000.

He also suggested that Copenhagen lacks a valid claim to the territory, which is a former Danish colony and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Growing Tensions

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 called an emergency session to examine the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

Speaking to media, Miller asserted that dominion of the island could be gained without military intervention due to its small population.

Challenging Copenhagen's Rule

“The core issue is what right does Denmark have to exercise sovereignty over Greenland? What legal foundation of their territorial claim?” he asked.

He added: “The US is the dominant force in NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to safeguard the alliance, obviously Greenland should be part of the US.”

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

International Reactions

His comments followed Trump said over the weekend, fresh from events in Venezuela, that the US desired the territory “urgently”.

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 “the postwar security order”.

The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a forceful rebuke, calling on the US president to give up his “fantasies about annexation” and labeled American rhetoric of being “completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Background and Present Position

The aide's assertions were preceded by his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, shared a digital image of Greenland under a US flag with the tag “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

Asked about the social media post, he responded by stating: “This has represented the formal position of the US government from the start of this presidency... The president has been explicit about that.”

The territory was under colonial rule until 1953, when it was integrated of the kingdom of Denmark. The US has had a strategic installation there, critical to its national missile defense network.

In recent years, there has been growing support for Greenlandic independence, particularly after disclosures about historical policies of the local population.

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