COPENHAGEN, Denmark — European allies began sending small military teams to Greenland as Denmark and NATO partners prepared Arctic exercises aimed at reassuring the United States about the island’s security while President Donald Trump presses a bid to take over the territory.
A meeting in Washington among U.S., Danish and Greenland officials produced no rapid resolution to the standoff, but the sides agreed to form a working group to address a broad set of concerns. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, announced the move after talks at the White House with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance.
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Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the dispute a “fundamental disagreement,” saying “the American ambition to take over Greenland is intact.” She added: “That is of course serious, and therefore we continue our efforts to prevent this scenario becoming a reality.” Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, and Copenhagen have repeatedly said the island is not for sale and that security concerns should be handled among allies.
Trump has said all options are on the table for securing the vast Arctic territory, arguing Denmark is not capable of warding off Russian and Chinese influence in the region.
France was the first to confirm boots on the ground. President Emmanuel Macron said a first team of French soldiers is already in place in Greenland and will be reinforced “in the coming days by land, air and sea means.” Earlier, Macron convened an emergency defense meeting in Paris focused on Trump’s stated intent to acquire Greenland and on the forceful crackdown on protests in Iran.
Russia dismissed NATO talk of Moscow and Beijing posing a threat to Greenland as a myth designed to whip up hysteria and warned of the dangers of escalating confrontation in the Arctic. There is little evidence that large numbers of Chinese or Russian vessels are operating near Greenland’s coasts.
Denmark and Greenland said they have begun increasing their military presence in and around the island in close cooperation with NATO allies, part of a broader push to strengthen Arctic defense. European partners including Germany, France, Sweden and Norway said they are sending personnel to prepare for larger drills later this year.
“The Danish Armed Forces, together with a number of Arctic and European allies, will explore in the coming weeks how an increased presence and exercise activity in the Arctic can be implemented in practice,” Denmark’s Defense Ministry said. Officials have not disclosed the scale of the buildup, but initial deployments appear limited.
Germany is dispatching a 13-person reconnaissance team, first to Copenhagen, before heading on to Greenland with Danish counterparts. Late yesterday, a Danish Air Force plane landed at Nuuk airport, where personnel in military fatigues disembarked and boarded two buses. France’s ambassador for the Poles, Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, said Paris is sending about 15 mountain specialists. Sweden is sending three officers and Norway two. One British officer is joining the reconnaissance group. The Netherlands said it is willing to send staff and expects a decision this week. Poland said it will not send soldiers.
The European deployments are intended as both signal and shield, said Marc Jacobsen, an associate professor at the Royal Danish Defence College. “There are two messages … one is to deter, is to show that ‘if you decide to do something militarily, we’re ready to defend Greenland,’” he said. “And the other purpose is to say: ‘Well, we take your critique seriously, we increase our presence, take care of our sovereignty, and improve surveillance over Greenland.’”
Poivre d’Arvor told France Info radio: “We will show the United States that NATO is there, that Denmark has dramatically increased its surveillance capabilities in Greenland and that the European Union is contributing to ensure the national security of the region as a whole.” Prominent European Union countries have publicly backed Denmark, with several leaders warning that any U.S. military seizure of the island could effectively spell the end of NATO.
After the White House talks, Greenland’s prime minister reiterated the island does not want to be governed by, or owned by, the United States and will remain part of Denmark and the NATO alliance. “Now is not the time for internal discussions. Now is the time for unity, calm and responsibility. I’m following the situation closely, and I stand with you to look after Greenland,” Jens-Frederik Nielsen wrote in a Facebook post.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
