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

Military Intervention Dismissed

Stephen Miller, also claimed the use of armed force would not be necessary to take over the Arctic territory because “nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland”.

“The idea of military action against Greenland? Its population numbers just 30,000 inhabitants people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, the correct number being closer to 57,000.

He also suggested that Denmark does not have a valid claim to the territory, which is a former Danish colony and continues as a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Growing Tensions

These remarks follow a period of growing tensions between the US and Denmark after the American leader's repeated interest to acquire Greenland.

A key parliamentary committee in Denmark has called an extraordinary meeting to examine the bilateral ties with the United States.

Speaking to media, Miller asserted that control over Greenland could be achieved without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

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

He added: “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.”

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.”

International Reactions

These statements came after Trump remarked recently, fresh from other foreign policy actions, that the US needed Greenland “urgently”.

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

The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a strong statement, calling on the US president to abandon his “fantasies about annexation” and accused the US of being “completely and utterly unacceptable”.

Background and Present Position

Miller’s comments came after his wife, a conservative commentator, posted a map on social media of Greenland draped in a US flag with the tag “SOON”.

Asked about the social media post, he laughed and said: “This has represented the official stance of the US government since the start of this presidency... The president has been very clear about that.”

Greenland remained a colony until 1953, when it became part of the kingdom of Denmark. The US maintains a strategic installation there, critical to its national missile defense network.

In recent years, there has been growing support for Greenlandic independence, 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 founding document declaring: “Greenland belongs to us.”