European military personnel arrive in Greenland as Trump says US needs island

A small French military contingent has arrived in Greenland’s capital Nuuk, officials say, as some European states deploy small numbers of troops for a so-called reconnaissance mission.

The limited deployment, which also includes Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, comes as US President Donald Trump presses his claim to the Arctic island, which is a semi-autonomous part of Denmark.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the initial contingent would soon be reinforced with “land, air and sea assets.”

Senior diplomat Olivier Poivre d’Arvor said the mission sent a strong political signal: “This is a first exercise… We will show the United States that NATO exists.”

The first French deployment included 15 people, Poivre d’Arvor said, hours after the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland traveled to Washington on Wednesday to meet US Vice President J.D. Vance.

Following the meeting, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said the talks were constructive but a “fundamental disagreement” remained between the two sides, and later criticized Trump’s offer to buy Greenland.

Meanwhile, Trump doubled down on his offer to bring Greenland under US control, telling reporters in the Oval Office that “we need Greenland for national security.” While he did not rule out the use of force, he said late Wednesday he thought something could be worked out with Denmark.

“The problem is that if Russia or China wants to invade Greenland, there’s nothing Denmark can do about it, but there’s everything we can do. You learned that in Venezuela last week.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poland did not plan to participate in Europe’s military deployment to Greenland but warned that any US military intervention there “would be a political disaster.”

“The annexation of the territory of a NATO member by another NATO member or the occurrence of a conflict would be the end of the world as we know it, and this would guarantee our security for many years to come,” he said at the press conference.

Russia’s embassy in Belgium, meanwhile, expressed “serious concerns” about what was happening in the Arctic, accusing NATO of establishing a military presence there “under the false pretext of an increased threat from Moscow and Beijing.”

But the European NATO deployment consists of only a few dozen personnel as part of joint Danish-led exercises called Operation Arctic Endurance. It was not immediately clear how long they would stay, though it was heavy on symbolism.

Finland is sending two military liaison officers on a research mission that is currently in the planning phase of the operation.

Janne Kuusela, head of the defense ministry’s policy department, told the BBC: “We’re not ruling out anything at the moment, but we’re not considering anything specifically.”

Finland is also an Arctic nation, and Kuusela said the aim was to increase the defense and defense of allied territory following concerns about how tightly NATO controls Greenland.

Germany was sending an A400M transport plane with a contingent of 13 soldiers to Nuuk on Thursday, but officials said they would only stay in Greenland until Saturday.

Danish defense officials said that, together with the Greenland government, they decided to increase the military presence around Greenland in the coming period in order to support NATO’s “footprint in the Arctic for the benefit of both European and transatlantic security.”

In his New Year’s speech to the French armed forces, Macron said that Europeans have a special responsibility towards Greenland, “because this region belongs to the European Union and is also one of our NATO allies.”

The United States already has a military base in Greenland with up to 150 personnel and has the option of bringing in many more under existing agreements with Copenhagen. But the Danish-led initiative is seen as a signal to the Trump administration that its European allies also have an interest in the security of the Arctic and North Atlantic.

Swedish army officers were sent to Nuuk on Wednesday, the Swedish prime minister said. Also being sent were two Norwegian soldiers, a British officer and a Dutch naval officer.

Downing Street said Britain shared President Trump’s concerns about the “security of the High North” and that the deployment involved “accelerating stronger exercises to deter Russian aggression and Chinese activities”.

The defense and protection of Greenland is a common concern of the entire NATO alliance, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Thursday.

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the aim was to have a “rotational” military presence on the island, with foreign allies participating in exercises and training activities, with the aim of having a more permanent military presence on the island.

Copenhagen disputed Trump’s rationale for wanting to control Greenland. Foreign Minister Rasmussen said on Wednesday that there was “no immediate threat” from China or Russia that Denmark and Greenland could not meet, although he shared America’s security concerns to some extent.

A US delegation led by Democrats will visit Denmark on Friday to meet with Danish lawmakers.

Rasmussen spoke alongside Greenland’s foreign minister following talks with Vance and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday.

“The president’s ambition is on the table,” the Danish diplomat told Fox News. “Of course we have red lines. The year is 2026, you trade with people, but you don’t trade with people.”

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said this week that the region was in the midst of a geopolitical crisis and that if its people were asked to choose, they would choose Denmark over the United States.

“Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed by the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States.” he emphasized.