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One of Donald Trump’s senior advisors has increased tensions on Denmark by questioning Copenhagen’s 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? Its population numbers just 30,000 inhabitants people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, the correct number being closer to 57,000.

He also suggested that Copenhagen lacks a valid claim to the territory, which is a one-time colonial possession and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Growing Tensions

These remarks follow a period of increasing friction between the US and Denmark after the US president’s renewed calls to acquire Greenland.

A key parliamentary committee in Denmark has convened an emergency session to examine the kingdom’s relationship with the United States.

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

Challenging Copenhagen's Rule

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

Miller continued: “As the leading power within 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 consider or discuss” a armed takeover in Greenland, reiterating: “Nobody is going to fight the US over this issue.”

International Reactions

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

Denmark's leader, Mette Frederiksen, reacted by saying that an American aggression against a fellow alliance member would mean the end of the defensive pact 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 “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 draped in a US flag with the caption “SOON”.

When questioned on the online image, he responded by stating: “It has been the formal position of the US government since the beginning of this administration... The president has been very clear about that.”

Greenland remained a colony until 1953, when it was integrated of the Danish realm. The US has had a strategic installation there, important for its ballistic missile early warning system.

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

However, facing the spectre 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.”