European countries sent a smaller number of military personnel to Greenland on Monday, as Denmark said it was pressing ahead with plans for a "larger and more permanent" NATO presence to secure the island, coveted by US President Donald Trump, Reuters reported tonight.
The modest European deployments, intended to help Denmark prepare for military exercises, sent a strong message of support a day after a meeting between U.S., Danish and Greenlandic officials failed to yield any breakthrough in stalled negotiations, according to Reuters.
After that meeting, Trump reiterated his claim that Denmark could not be considered a reliable protector of its autonomous territory, Greenland, should Russia or China ever wish to occupy it.
Trump claims the strategically located and mineral-rich island is crucial to US security and has not ruled out the use of force to take it. Greenland and Denmark say the island is not for sale and that threats of force are irresponsible.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told reporters in Copenhagen today that he does not yet have a final assessment of the scope of NATO's planned expanded presence in Greenland.
"But it is clear that we will now be able to plan for a larger and more permanent presence throughout 2026, and that this is crucial to demonstrate that security in the Arctic is not just a matter for the Kingdom of Denmark, but for all of NATO," Poulsen said.
Fears for the future of NATO
Prominent European Union (EU) countries have sided with Denmark, warning that a possible military occupation of territory within NATO by the US could mean the end of the Washington-led military alliance.
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The European military deployment in Greenland sent two messages to the US administration, said Mark Jakobsen, an associate professor at the Royal Danish Defense College.
"One is deterrence – showing that if you decide to do something militarily, we are ready to defend Greenland. The second message is: we take your criticism seriously, we are increasing our presence, we are taking care of our sovereignty and we are improving oversight of Greenland," he told Reuters.
Ahead of the meeting in the US on Wednesday, Greenland and Denmark said they had already begun increasing their military presence in and around Greenland in cooperation with NATO allies.
Denmark had about 150 military and civilian personnel deployed to the Joint Arctic Command on the island.
Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands have announced they are sending military personnel to begin preparations for larger military exercises later this year.
In Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, business owner Mads Petersen said it would be unusual to see more soldiers.
"I hope this doesn't become the new normal," he said.
The White House said today that a meeting between US officials and representatives of Denmark and Greenland was productive and warned that sending European troops to Greenland would not affect Trump's thinking about the territory.
"I don't think the troops from Europe are influencing the president's decision-making process, or at all, affecting his goal of acquiring Greenland," White House spokeswoman Carolyn Leavitt said at a briefing.
Russia dismisses threat stories as "myth"
Russia said on Thursday that NATO claims about a threat from Moscow and Beijing to Greenland were a myth, designed to stoke hysteria, and warned of the dangers of escalating confrontation in the region.
However, attempts to ignore Russian interests in the Arctic will not go unanswered, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry later said.
There is currently little evidence that large numbers of Chinese and Russian ships are sailing near the coast of Greenland, according to Reuters.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said on Wednesday that about 200 US troops are currently stationed in Greenland, which has a population of about 57.000.
The extent of the planned European military buildup has not been announced, but initial deployments appear modest.
The German armed forces are deploying a 13-man reconnaissance team, first to Copenhagen and then to Greenland together with Danish personnel. Late on Wednesday, a Danish Air Force plane landed at Nuuk airport, and uniformed soldiers disembarked.
Sweden is sending three officers, Norway two. France is sending about 15 mountain specialists, who will be reinforced by ground, air and naval forces in the coming days, French President Emmanuel Macron said.
France and the EU must be "unyielding in defending territorial sovereignty," he said.
A British officer is joining the reconnaissance group. The Netherlands has announced that it will send a naval officer, while Finland will send two military liaison officers.
After meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday, Rasmussen and Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt announced that the US and Denmark would form a working group to discuss issues related to the island.
A bipartisan delegation of 11 US congressmen is scheduled to meet with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen in Copenhagen on Friday, Frederiksen's office said.
Speaking to about 300 Greenlanders gathered in Copenhagen, Nielsen stressed the need for unity and received a standing ovation when he said the island did not want to be governed by the US or become part of it.
"We choose Greenland as we know it today, as part of the Kingdom of Denmark," he said.
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