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Greenland International Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, left, and Danish International 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 international locations, together with France, Germany, Norway and Sweden, are arriving in Greenland to assist enhance the Arctic island’s safety after talks between representatives of Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. on Wednesday highlighted “elementary disagreement” between the Trump administration and European allies.
“The primary French navy parts are already en route” and “others will comply with,” French President Emmanuel Macron introduced Wednesday, as French authorities stated about 15 French troopers from the mountain infantry unit had 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 might improve its navy presence in Greenland, with NATO allies becoming a member of them, simply because the Danish and Greenlandic international ministers met with White Home representatives on Wednesday in Washington to debate U.S. President Donald Trump’s intentions to take over the island with the intention to faucet its mineral sources and defend 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 ascertain a extra everlasting navy presence with a bigger Danish contribution,” in keeping with Danish broadcaster DR. He stated troopers from a number of NATO international locations might be in Greenland on a rotation system.
Danish International Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, flanked by his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt, stated Wednesday {that a} “elementary 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 want of conquering over Greenland.”
“We actually want it,” Trump instructed media within the Oval Workplace after the assembly. “If we do not go in, Russia goes to go in and China goes to go in. And there is not a factor Denmark can do about it, however we are able to do every part about it.”
Trump stated he had not but been briefed concerning the contents of the White Home assembly when he made his remarks.
In Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, native residents instructed The Related Press they had 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 considered Denmark’s determination to ship extra troops, and guarantees of help from different NATO allies, as safety towards attainable 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 international locations are sending reinforcements” as a result of Greenland is part of Denmark and NATO.
The dispute, she stated, shouldn’t be about “nationwide safety” however reasonably about “the oils and minerals that now we have which might be untouched.”
Extra troops, extra talks
On Wednesday, Poulsen had introduced a stepped-up navy presence within the Arctic “in shut cooperation with our allies,” calling it a necessity in a safety surroundings through which “nobody can predict what is going to occur tomorrow.”
“Because of this from at this time and within the coming time there might be an elevated navy presence in and round Greenland of plane, ships and troopers, together with from different NATO allies,” Poulsen stated.
Requested whether or not the European troop actions had been coordinated with NATO or what position the U.S.-led navy alliance may play within the workouts, NATO referred all inquiries to the Danish authorities.
Nonetheless, NATO is taking a look at how members can collectively bolster the alliance’s presence within the Arctic, in keeping with a NATO official who was not licensed to remark publicly and spoke on situation of anonymity.
Rasmussen, the Danish international minister, introduced the creation of a working group with the Individuals to debate methods to work via variations.
“The group, in our view, ought to deal with methods to deal with the American safety considerations, whereas on the identical time respecting the pink strains of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he stated.
Commenting on the end result of the Washington assembly on Thursday, Poulsen stated the working group was “higher than no working group” and “a step in the precise route.” He added however that the dialogue with the U.S. didn’t imply “the hazard has handed.”
Line McGee, a 38-year previous from Copenhagen, instructed AP that she was glad to see some diplomatic progress. “I do not suppose the menace has gone away,” she stated. “However I really feel barely higher 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 the very least I don’t hope so, as a result of, I imply, that may be the top of NATO.”
Rasmussen stated Greenlanders had been unlikely to vote for U.S. rule even when monetary incentives had been provided “as a result of I believe there is not any manner that U.S. pays for a Scandinavian welfare system in Greenland, actually talking.”
“You have not launched a Scandinavian welfare system in your personal nation,” he added.
Trump, in his Oval Workplace assembly with reporters, stated: “We’ll see the way it all works out. I believe one thing will work out.”
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