NUUK – In a significant move to strengthen security in Greenland, military forces from several European nations, including France, Germany, Norway, and Sweden, are arriving on the Arctic island. This development follows discussions on Wednesday among representatives from Denmark, Greenland, and the United States, which revealed substantial disagreements between the Trump administration and its European counterparts.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday that the initial contingent of French troops is already on its way, with additional forces set to follow. French officials confirmed that approximately 15 soldiers from a mountain infantry unit have arrived in Nuuk to participate in a military exercise.
Germany is also contributing to the effort, with its Defense Ministry stating that a team of 13 reconnaissance personnel will be dispatched to Greenland on Thursday.
Denmark, meanwhile, has committed to enhancing its military presence in Greenland. This initiative will include support from NATO allies. The announcement coincides with a meeting in Washington where Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers discussed President Donald Trump’s controversial interest in acquiring Greenland. The talks focused on the island’s mineral resources and the strategic significance of the Arctic, particularly in light of growing Russian and Chinese influence.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, alongside Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, addressed the media on Wednesday after their much-anticipated meeting at the White House with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rasmussen acknowledged ongoing “fundamental disagreement” with President Trump on the issue of Greenland.
He further emphasized that it remains “clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland.”
“We really need it,” Trump told media in the Oval Office after the meeting. “If we don’t go in, Russia is going to go in and China is going to go in. And there’s not a thing Denmark can do about it, but we can do everything about it.”
Trump said he had not yet been briefed about the contents of the White House meeting when he made his remarks.
In Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, local residents told The Associated Press they were glad the first meeting between Greenlandic, Danish and American officials had taken place but suggested it left more questions than answers.
Several people said they viewed Denmark’s decision to send more troops, and promises of support from other NATO allies, as protection against possible U.S. military action. But European military officials have not suggested the goal is to deter a U.S. move against the island.
Maya Martinsen, 21, agreed and said it was “comforting to know that the Nordic countries are sending reinforcements” because Greenland is a part of Denmark and NATO.
The dispute, she said, is not about “national security” but rather about “the oils and minerals that we have that are untouched.”
More troops, more talks
In Copenhagen, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced a stepped-up military presence in the Arctic “in close cooperation with our allies,” calling it a necessity in a security environment in which “no one can predict what will happen tomorrow.”
“This means that from today and in the coming time there will be an increased military presence in and around Greenland of aircraft, ships and soldiers, including from other NATO allies,” Poulsen said.
Asked whether the European troop movements were coordinated with NATO or what role the U.S.-led military alliance might play in the exercises, NATO referred all questions to the Danish authorities.
However, NATO is looking at how members can collectively bolster the alliance’s presence in the Arctic, according to a NATO official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Rasmussen, the Danish foreign minister, announced the creation of a working group with the Americans to discuss ways to work through differences.
“The group, in our view, should focus on how to address the American security concerns, while at the same time respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said.
Speaking to FOX News Channel’s Special Report on Wednesday after the White House talks, Rasmussen rejected both a military takeover and the potential purchase of the island by the U.S. Asked whether he thinks the U.S. will invade, he replied: “No, at least I do not hope so, because, I mean, that would be the end of NATO.”
Rasmussen said Greenlanders were unlikely to vote for U.S. rule even if financial incentives were offered “because I think there’s no way that U.S. will pay for a Scandinavian welfare system in Greenland, honestly speaking.”
“You haven’t introduced a Scandinavian welfare system in your own country,” he added.
Trump, in his Oval Office meeting with reporters, said: “We’ll see how it all works out. I think something will work out.”
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