Increased European Military Presence in Greenland Amid U.S. Claims

Thu Jan 15 2026 16:39:31 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A contingent of military personnel from Europe, led by France, has arrived in Greenland's capital Nuuk as part of a joint exercise, coinciding with U.S. President Trump's continued interest in acquiring the island for national security reasons.

European nations have deployed military personnel to Nuuk, Greenland, as a reconnaissance initiative amid U.S. President Trump's ongoing claim to the Arctic territory. The deployment includes troops from multiple NATO countries and is seen as a statement of European unity and commitment to security in the Arctic, as tensions surround Trump's comments and intentions regarding Greenland. Danish officials have affirmed their stance against Trump's acquisition efforts.

A 15-strong French military contingent has arrived in Greenland's capital Nuuk, as several European states send soldiers there as part of a so-called reconnaissance mission.

The deployment, which will also include personnel from Germany, Sweden, Norway and the UK, comes as US President Donald Trump continues to press his claim to the Arctic island, which is a semi-autonomous part of Denmark.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the initial troop deployment would be reinforced in the coming days with 'land, air, and sea assets'.

Senior French diplomat Olivier Poivre d'Arvor saw the mission as sending a strong political signal: 'This is a first exercise... we'll show the US that NATO is present.'

The movement of military personnel comes after Denmark and Greenland's foreign ministers travelled to Washington for a meeting with US Vice-President JD Vance on Wednesday.

Following the meeting, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said while the talks were constructive, there remained a 'fundamental disagreement' between the two sides and later criticised Trump's bid to buy Greenland.

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

'The problem is there's not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there's everything we can do,' he added.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that Poland was not planning to join the European military deployment, warning that any US military intervention might result in a 'political disaster'.

Russia's embassy in Belgium expressed 'serious concern' at what was unfolding in the Arctic, accusing NATO of building up a military presence there 'under the false pretext of a growing threat from Moscow and Beijing'.

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

Danish defence officials stated they had decided with the government of Greenland that there would be an increased military presence around Greenland to bolster NATO's 'footprint in the Arctic for the benefit of both European and transatlantic security'.

In his new year address to France's armed forces, Macron said Europeans had a special responsibility to Greenland 'because this territory belongs to the European Union and it's also one of our NATO allies.'

Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen indicated the intention was to maintain a rotational military presence, aiming for a more permanent military setup with allied participation in training activities.

Allies debate how to address the broader geopolitical implications of Trump's interest, while Greenland's Prime Minister stressed that the territory prioritizes its ties with Denmark over the US.

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