European Union member countries have sent a small squad of troops to Greenland, as Denmark said it is moving ahead with plans for a “larger and more permanent” NATO presence on the island, which United States President Donald Trump has repeatedly said is vital to American security.
The deployments, intended to help Denmark prepare future military exercises, came a day after talks between officials from the United States, Denmark and Greenland failed to ease tensions over Trump’s push for Greenland.
After the meeting, Trump again questioned Denmark’s ability to protect the autonomous territory if Russia or China sought to occupy it.
Trump has argued that the strategically located, mineral-rich Island is critical to US security and has not ruled out the use of force.
Greenland and Denmark have rejected the idea, saying the territory is not for sale and warning that such threats are reckless.
Denmark’s defence minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, said the exact size of the expanded NATO presence had not been decided but stressed the direction was clear.
“But it is clear that we now will be able to plan for a larger and more permanent presence throughout 2026, and that is crucial to show that security in the Arctic is not only for the Kingdom of Denmark, it is for all of NATO.”
Several EU countries have publicly backed Denmark, warning that any US military seizure of territory within NATO could undermine the alliance.
Marc Jacobsen, an associate professor at the Royal Danish Defence College, said the European deployments were meant to send two signals.
“One is to deter, is to show that ‘if you decide to do something militarily, we’re ready to defend Greenland’,” he told Reuters.
“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’.”
Before the Washington meeting, Denmark and Greenland said they had already begun strengthening their military presence around the island with NATO partners.
Denmark currently has about 150 military and civilian staff at its Joint Arctic Command in Greenland.
Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands said they were sending personnel to prepare for larger exercises later this year.
Germany deployed a 13-member reconnaissance team, Sweden sent three officers, Norway two, and Finland two liaison officers. France said it was sending about 15 mountain specialists, with more support to follow. One British officer and one Dutch navy officer were also involved.
In Nuuk, business owner Mads Petersen said a larger troop presence would feel unusual.
“I don’t hope it is the new normal,” he said.
The White House said the meeting between US, Danish and Greenlandic officials had been productive but dismissed the European deployments as irrelevant to Trump’s stance.
“I don’t think troops in Europe impact the president’s decision-making process, nor does it impact his goal of the acquisition of Greenland at all,” spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said.
Russia said NATO’s claims that Moscow and Beijing pose a threat to Greenland were exaggerated and warned against escalating tensions in the Arctic, adding that Russian interests in the region should not be ignored.
Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said about 200 US troops were currently stationed in Greenland, which has a population of roughly 57,000. The size of the planned European build-up has not been made public.
After meeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, Rasmussen and Greenland’s foreign minister, Vivian Motzfeldt, said Denmark and the US would form a working group to address concerns over the island.
A bipartisan group of 11 US lawmakers is due to meet Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s premier, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, in Copenhagen on Friday.
Addressing Greenlanders gathered in Copenhagen, Nielsen said the island wanted unity and made clear its position on Trump’s push for Greenland.
“We choose the Greenland we know today, as part of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said.
- Reuters
