Greenland Overseas Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, left, and Danish Overseas Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, arrive on Capitol Hill to satisfy with members of the Senate Arctic Caucus, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
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J. Scott Applewhite/AP
NUUK, Greenland — Troops from a number of European nations, together with France, Germany, Norway and Sweden, are arriving in Greenland to assist increase the Arctic island’s safety after talks between representatives of Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. on Wednesday highlighted “fundamental disagreement” between the Trump administration and European allies.
“The first French military elements are already en route” and “others will follow,” French President Emmanuel Macron introduced Wednesday, as French authorities stated about 15 French troopers from the mountain infantry unit have been already in Nuuk for a navy train.
Germany will deploy a reconnaissance group of 13 personnel to Greenland on Thursday, its Protection Ministry stated.
Denmark introduced it could improve its navy presence in Greenland, with NATO allies becoming a member of them, simply because the Danish and Greenlandic overseas ministers met with White Home representatives on Wednesday in Washington to debate U.S. President Donald Trump’s intentions to take over the island in an effort to faucet its mineral sources and shield the safety of the Arctic area amid rising Russian and Chinese language curiosity.
On Thursday, Danish Protection Minister Troels Lund Poulsen stated the intention was “to establish a more permanent military presence with a larger Danish contribution,” in accordance with Danish broadcaster DR. He stated troopers from a number of NATO nations shall be in Greenland on a rotation system.
Danish Overseas Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, flanked by his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt, stated Wednesday {that a} “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland stays with Trump after they held extremely anticipated talks on the White Home with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rasmussen added that it stays “clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland.”
“We really need it,” Trump informed media within the Oval Workplace after the assembly. “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 stated he had not but been briefed in regards to the contents of the White Home assembly when he made his remarks.
In Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, native residents informed The Related Press they have been glad the primary assembly between Greenlandic, Danish and American officers had taken place however steered it left extra questions than solutions.
A number of folks stated they seen Denmark’s determination to ship extra troops, and guarantees of assist from different NATO allies, as safety towards doable U.S. navy motion. However European navy officers haven’t steered the objective is to discourage a U.S. transfer towards the island.
Maya Martinsen, 21, agreed and stated it was “comforting to know that the Nordic countries are sending reinforcements” as a result of Greenland is part of Denmark and NATO.
The dispute, she stated, will not be about “national security” however fairly about “the oils and minerals that we have that are untouched.”
Extra troops, extra talks
On Wednesday, Poulsen had introduced a stepped-up navy presence within the Arctic “in close cooperation with our allies,” calling it a necessity in a safety atmosphere during 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 stated.
Requested whether or not the European troop actions have been coordinated with NATO or what function the U.S.-led navy alliance would possibly play within the workouts, NATO referred all inquiries to the Danish authorities.
Nevertheless, NATO is how members can collectively bolster the alliance’s presence within the Arctic, in accordance with a NATO official who was not approved to remark publicly and spoke on situation of anonymity.
Rasmussen, the Danish overseas minister, introduced the creation of a working group with the People to debate methods to work via variations.
“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 stated.
Commenting on the end result of the Washington assembly on Thursday, Poulsen stated the working group was “better than no working group” and “a step in the right direction.” He added nonetheless that the dialogue with the U.S. didn’t imply “the danger has passed.”
Line McGee, a 38-year outdated from Copenhagen, informed AP that she was glad to see some diplomatic progress. “I don’t think the threat has gone away,” she stated. “But I feel slightly better than I did yesterday.”
Chatting with FOX Information Channel’s Particular Report on Wednesday after the White Home talks, Rasmussen rejected each a navy takeover and the potential buy of the island by the U.S. Requested whether or not 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 stated Greenlanders have been unlikely to vote for U.S. rule even when monetary incentives have been provided “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 Workplace assembly with reporters, stated: “We’ll see how it all works out. I think something will work out.”
