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One of Donald Trump’s senior advisors has increased tensions on Denmark by challenging Copenhagen’s claim to Greenland.

Force Deemed Unnecessary

Stephen Miller, stated emphatically the use of armed force would not be required to assume control of 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, despite the actual figure 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 Danish kingdom.

Escalating Diplomatic Strains

These remarks come amid growing tensions between the two NATO allies after the American leader's repeated interest to purchase 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 asserted that control over Greenland could be gained without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

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

Miller continued: “As the leading power within the dominant force in 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 requirement to even consider or discuss” a military operation in Greenland, adding: “No country would wage war against the US militarily.”

Global Responses

His comments followed Trump remarked recently, following events in Venezuela, that the US needed Greenland “very badly”.

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by warning that an attack by the US a fellow alliance member would mean the collapse of the military alliance and “the postwar security order”.

The island's own leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, issued a strong statement, calling on the US president to abandon his “notions of acquisition” and labeled American rhetoric of being “wholly inappropriate”.

Historical Context and Current Stance

Miller’s comments came after his wife, a conservative commentator, shared a digital image of Greenland draped in a US flag with the caption “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

When questioned on the social media post, he laughed and said: “It has been the formal position of the US government since the beginning of this administration... The president has been explicit about that.”

The territory was under colonial rule until 1953, when it became part of the kingdom of Denmark. The US has had a military base there, important for its national missile defense network.

Recently, there has been growing support for self-rule, especially following revelations about historical policies 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.”