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A key figure from Donald Trump's top aides has increased tensions on the Danish government by disputing Copenhagen’s claim to Greenland.

Force Deemed Unnecessary

The president’s deputy chief of staff, also claimed military intervention would not be required to take over 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? Greenland has a population of 30,000 people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, the correct number being closer to 57,000.

Miller further proposed that Denmark does not have a valid claim to the territory, which is a one-time colonial possession and continues as a constituent country of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Growing Tensions

Miller’s comments follow a period of 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 extraordinary meeting to examine the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

Speaking to media, Miller told CNN that control over Greenland could be achieved without armed conflict due to its small population.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

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

Miller continued: “As the leading power within the power of NATO. For the US to secure the Arctic region to defend NATO, it is logical that Greenland should be part of the US.”

There was, he said “no need to even think or talk about” a armed takeover in Greenland, adding: “Nobody is going to fight the US militarily.”

Global Responses

These statements came after Trump said over the weekend, fresh from other foreign policy actions, that the US needed Greenland “very badly”.

Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, responded by saying that an American aggression against a NATO ally would mean the end of the military alliance and “post-Second World War security”.

The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also made a forceful rebuke, urging Trump to abandon his “fantasies about annexation” and labeled American rhetoric of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Background and Present Position

The aide's assertions were preceded by his wife, podcaster Katie Miller, shared a map on social media of Greenland draped in a US flag with the caption “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

Asked about the social media post, he responded by stating: “It has been 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 Danish realm. The US maintains a military base there, important for its national missile defense network.

Recently, there has been increasing sentiment for self-rule, especially following disclosures about Denmark’s treatment of the local population.

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