European soldiers arrive in Greenland as Trump says America needs island

A small French force has arrived in Greenland’s capital Nuuk, officials said. That’s because several European countries are deploying small numbers of them on so-called reconnaissance missions.

The limited deployment, which also includes Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, comes as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to press his claim to Denmark’s semi-autonomous Arctic island.

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

Senior diplomat Olivier Poivre d’Arvor saw the mission as sending a strong political signal. “This is the first exercise. We will show America that NATO exists.”

Poivre d’Arvor said 15 people were part of France’s initial deployment, hours after the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland traveled to Washington for talks with US Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday.

After the meeting, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Roque Rasmussen said the talks had been constructive but that “fundamental disagreements” remained between the two sides and later criticized Trump’s attempt to buy Greenland.

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

“The problem is that there’s nothing Denmark can do if Russia or China try to take over Greenland. But there’s everything we can do. You found that out last week in Venezuela.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poland had no plans to join European forces in Greenland but warned that US military intervention would be a “political disaster”.

“Any attempt at conflict or annexation of the territory of one NATO member would be the end of the world as we know it, which has ensured our security for many years,” he told a news conference.

Meanwhile, the Russian embassy in Belgium expressed “serious concerns” about what is happening in the Arctic, accusing NATO of building a military presence there “under the false pretext of a growing threat from Moscow and Beijing.”

But the European NATO deployment consists of just a few dozen personnel as part of a Danish-led joint exercise called Operation Arctic Endurance. The symbolism was heavy, but it wasn’t immediately clear how long they would stick around.

Finland is sending two military liaison officers on a fact-finding mission that is currently in the operational planning phase.

“At the moment we are not ruling anything out, but we are not considering anything specifically,” Janne Kusela, head of the Defense Ministry’s policy department, told the BBC.

Finland is also an Arctic nation, and Kuusela said the goal was to strengthen the alliance territory’s defenses following concerns about how firm NATO’s grip is over Greenland.

Germany had planned to send an A400M transport plane with 13 soldiers to Nuuk by Thursday, but officials said they would only remain in Greenland until Saturday.

Danish defense officials said they had decided with the Greenlandic government to increase the military presence around Greenland in the future to strengthen “NATO’s footprint in the Arctic for both European and transatlantic security.”

In his New Year’s address to French troops, Macron said Europeans had a special responsibility for Greenland. “Because this region is part of the European Union and one of the NATO allies.”

The United States already has a military base in Greenland, currently staffed by up to 150 people, with the option to bring in significantly more troops under existing agreements with Copenhagen. But the Danish-led plan appears to signal to the Trump administration that European allies also have a stake in the security of the Arctic and North Atlantic.

Sweden’s prime minister said Wednesday that Swedish military officers had been dispatched to Nuuk. Two Norwegian soldiers, a British officer, and a Dutch naval officer were also dispatched.

Downing Street said the UK also shared Mr Trump’s concerns about the “security of the north” and that the deployment included “stepping up more robust training to deter Russian aggression and Chinese activity”.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the defense and protection of Greenland was a common concern for the entire NATO alliance.

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the intention was to have a “rotating” military presence, with the goal of establishing a more permanent military presence on the island, with foreign allies participating in training and training activities.

Copenhagen has disputed Trump’s legitimacy in seeking control of Greenland. Foreign Minister Rasmussen said Wednesday that while he shared some of America’s security concerns, there was no “immediate threat” from China or Russia that Denmark and Greenland could not accept.

A Democratic-led U.S. delegation is scheduled to visit Denmark on Friday for talks with Danish lawmakers.

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

“The president’s ambitions are on the table,” a Danish diplomat told Fox News. “Of course we have a red line. It’s 2026. We trade with people, but we don’t trade with people.”

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen said this week that his country is in a geopolitical crisis and that if his people were asked to choose, they would choose Denmark over the United States.

He emphasized, “Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be ruled by the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States.”