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

Military Intervention Dismissed

Stephen Miller, stated emphatically military intervention would not be necessary to assume control of the Arctic territory because “no nation would engage the United States militarily over the future of Greenland”.

“The idea of military action against Greenland? Greenland has 30,000 inhabitants people,” Miller inaccurately claimed, despite the actual figure being closer to 57,000.

Miller further proposed that Copenhagen lacks a valid claim to the region, which is a one-time colonial possession and continues as a constituent country of the Danish kingdom.

Growing Tensions

These remarks come amid growing tensions between the two NATO allies after the American leader's repeated interest to acquire Greenland.

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

Speaking to media, Miller told CNN that dominion of the island could be gained without armed conflict due to its limited number of residents.

Questioning Danish Sovereignty

“The core issue is what right does Denmark have to assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their ownership claim?” Miller questioned.

He added: “The US is the power of NATO. For the US to protect Arctic interests to safeguard the alliance, it is logical that Greenland should be part of the US.”

He stated there was “no requirement to even think or talk about” a military operation in Greenland, reiterating: “No country would wage war against the US militarily.”

Global Responses

These statements came after Trump said over the weekend, following events in Venezuela, that the US needed Greenland “very badly”.

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, responded by saying that an attack by the US a NATO ally would mean the collapse of the military alliance and “post-Second World War security”.

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

Background and Present Position

The aide's assertions were preceded by his wife, a conservative commentator, posted a digital image of Greenland under a US flag with the caption “IN THE NEAR FUTURE”.

Asked about the online image, he laughed and said: “This has represented the formal position of the US government from the start of this presidency... The president has been very clear about that.”

The territory was under colonial rule 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.

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 unity government in a demonstration of solidarity, with its founding document declaring: “We are the rightful owners of Greenland.”