Several European countries have announced the deployment of additional military contingents to Greenland for joint exercises with Denmark, amid escalating threats by US President Donald Trump to annex the Arctic island.
Denmark, responsible for the defense of the territory, reported on Wednesday (14) that it is expanding its military presence “in close cooperation with NATO allies”. Following this, Germany, Sweden, France and Norway confirmed the deployment of military personnel this week.
The German Ministry of Defense stated that it will dispatch a “reconnaissance team” with 13 soldiers for an “exploratory mission”, at the invitation of Denmark, together with other partners. Sweden has sent an unspecified number of troops to take part in preparations for the Operation Arctic Endurance exercise, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced.
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France also confirmed participation in the exercise. President Emmanuel Macron stated that “the first French military units are already on the way” and that other contingents will follow. Norway reported sending two soldiers to Greenland.
Although joint exercises in the Arctic Circle region are not uncommon and are part of a years-long effort to expand cooperation between allies, European officials highlighted the symbolic weight of the announcements given the current context. The United States maintains around 150 soldiers at the Pituffik space base, in the northwest of the island.
The moves come after Trump stated that he would “do something in Greenland, whether they like it or not”, admitting the use of force. The statements raised tension within NATO, as Greenland joins the alliance through Denmark. Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen classified a possible US attack as “completely hypothetical” and said it was “unlikely that a NATO country would attack another NATO country”.
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On the same day as the military announcements, officials from Denmark and Greenland met in Washington with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. Hours earlier, Trump had written in Truth Social that “anything less” than American control of Greenland would be “unacceptable.”
According to Danish Chancellor Lars Løkke Rasmussen, the meeting was “frank, but also constructive”, although a “fundamental divergence” persists. The parties agreed to create a high-level working group to seek a “common way forward” in the coming weeks.
In addition to the military reinforcement, Canada and France announced the opening of consulates in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said she will travel to the territory in the coming weeks to inaugurate the representation and reiterate Canadian support for Greenland’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
France has confirmed that it will open its consulate on February 6. In an interview with RTL radio, French Chancellor Jean-Noël Barrot asked the United States to cease the threats. “Attacking another NATO member would make no sense, it would even be contrary to the interests of the United States, and therefore this blackmail must stop,” he said, according to Reuters.
