NATO countries send troops to Greenland in response to Trump

Denmark, France and Germany will carry out military maneuvers on the island, which has been the target of outbursts by the US president

Denmark announced, this Wednesday (14/1), that it will increase its military presence in Greenland, amid President Donald Trump’s statements that it is “unacceptable” that the United States does not control the largest island in the world.

The measure takes immediate effect and will involve military exercises with aircraft, ships and ground troops, the Danish government said. France, Germany, Norway and Sweden, which are Denmark’s NATO allies, will also send soldiers to the region.

According to the government of Denmark, which administers the semi-autonomous state of Greenland, the military maneuvers are aimed at increasing NATO’s presence in the region. “Security tensions have extended to the Arctic,” the ministries of Greenland and Denmark said in a joint note.

For the island, the German Ministry of Defense has mobilized a Bundeswehr team, made up of 13 members, who will be sent this Thursday to the capital Nuuk at the request of the Danish government.

According to Berlin, the mission aims to “explore structural conditions for possible military contributions to support Denmark in ensuring security in the region”.

Sweden also announced that it will send military personnel to the Arctic. “Several officers from the Swedish Armed Forces are arriving in Greenland today. They are part of a group from several allied countries,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X.

France and Norway also confirmed sending troops to Danish territory.

Meeting in Washington

The statement came on the same day that representatives from Greenland and Denmark met with American Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington.

After the meeting, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said it was clear that Trump “has the desire to conquer Greenland,” which he argued was “absolutely unnecessary.”

The US and Denmark share a “fundamental disagreement”, said Rasmussen. Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt also participated in the negotiations.

“I think it’s very important to reiterate how important it is, on our part, to strengthen cooperation with the United States, but that doesn’t mean we want to be owned by the United States. But as allies, how can we strengthen our cooperation? It’s in our interest,” she said.

The creation of a high-level working group to find a “common path” was also announced.

The US has a base in Greenland, and the Danes believe that this structure is sufficient to guarantee security in the Arctic.

“The US already has broad military access to Greenland under the 1951 defense agreement, the US can always request to increase its presence in Greenland, and therefore we would like to know if the US has any other requests to make. In this regard, we would consider any such request constructively,” Rasmussen added.

Trump wants the island

US President Donald Trump has been reinforcing his desire to annex Greenland, saying that all options were open, including a purchase or military action.

“NATO becomes much more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the United States. Anything less than that is unacceptable,” he posted on the Truth Social network this Wednesday (14/1), in yet another attack on the Danish administration on the island.

The president did not participate in the meeting with the ministers of Denmark and Greenland. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office after the negotiations, he reiterated his commitment to acquiring the territory.

“We need Greenland for national security,” Trump said. “We’ll see how it all turns out. I think something will work out,” he added.

One of the Republican’s justifications is that the island in the Arctic would be essential for the construction of the “Golden Dome”, a United States anti-missile system project.

The American president has also reiterated that Greenland would be under threat of control by Russia and China. But he excluded from the statements that the semi-autonomous state administered by Denmark has abundant mineral reserves of gold and uranium, as well as potential for oil exploration, and holds rare earths that could be among the largest on the planet.

The world’s largest island would also become a central point in establishing new navigation routes through the Arctic, which could emerge as ice melts driven by climate change.

Originally published by DW on 01/14/2025