The deployment of European troops in Greenland has not dissuaded U.S. President Donald Trump from pursuing his goal of acquiring the Arctic island, the White House said.
“I don’t think troops in Europe impacts the president’s decision-making process or impact his goal of the acquisition of Greenland at all,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday when asked whether the arrival of European boots on the ground would impact Trump’s decisions regarding the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Several European nations, including France, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and the Netherlands, said they would send small numbers of troops to Greenland to take part in a Danish military exercise, with some already having arrived there.
Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in acquiring the strategically located Arctic island, which he says is at risk of falling into the hands of Russia or China, which would open a strategic vulnerability for the United States from the north. Greenland is also rich in oil, gas, and rare earths, which could help to reduce the United States’ reliance on China for imports.
Greenland’s government has insisted the territory is “not for sale,” and that its future must be determined by Greenlanders, who are of chiefly Inuit descent, as well as Denmark. Greenland has not been a colony since 1953, with home rule since 1979, but has been largely under Danish control for more than 600 years.
After a meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House on Wednesday, the Danish foreign minister said Denmark and Greenland “still have a fundamental disagreement” with Washington, despite the announcement of a working group to look at bolstering security for the island.
In an address to his country’s armed forces on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron said he would deploy land, air, and naval assets to Greenland in the coming days.
‘Territorial Sovereignty’
“France and Europeans must continue, wherever their interests are threatened, to be present without escalation, but uncompromising on respect for territorial sovereignty,” Macron said.
NATO is not involved in the military exercise, which is an intergovernmental drill, officially said to be an exploratory mission to look at how to bolster the security of Greenland.
Trump has accused Denmark of not doing enough to keep the Arctic island secure from a possible seizure, while the troop movements are intended to convey solidarity among Europeans and send a signal to Washington that a U.S. takeover of Greenland is not necessary.
A plane with the Royal Danish Air Force landed at Nuuk Airport, and military personnel were seen disembarking late on Jan. 14 following the White House meeting between officials from Greenland, Denmark, and the United States.
Trump said on his Truth Social platform on the day of the White House meeting: “The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security. It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building. NATO should be leading the way for us to get it.”
He repeated his warning that the territory is at risk of falling into Russian or Chinese hands, adding that NATO would become “far more formidable and effective” with Greenland overseen by the United States.
Russia and China
A Danish intelligence report published in December 2025 stated: “In recent years, the United States has significantly increased its security policy focus on the Arctic, while Russia continues its military build-up, and China continues to develop its capacity to operate both submarines and surface vessels in the region.
“Russia remains the strongest military power in the Arctic but sees itself as being challenged by the West. As a result, Russia will increasingly assert its interests through a more confrontational approach, both politically and militarily. Russia is under pressure from, among other things, Western sanctions and will therefore seek to deepen its Arctic cooperation with China and allow China greater access to the Russian Arctic.”
Russia has said through its embassy in Belgium that NATO’s talk of Moscow and Beijing being a threat to Greenland is designed to promote an “anti-Russian and anti-Chinese agenda.”
The number of troops sent by European nations so far is small. The UK has sent a single military officer to Greenland at Denmark’s request, Downing Street confirmed.
“We share President Trump’s concern about the security of the High North. And you see this as part of NATO and JEF nations stepping up to reinforce security in the High North,” a spokesperson said. “Stepping up with stronger exercising, to deter the Russian aggression and the Chinese activity.”
The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a UK-led military partnership comprising 10 European nations focused on security in the High North, Northern Europe, and the Baltic region.
Denmark’s defense minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, said on Jan. 14 that the upcoming joint operation, named “Arctic Endurance,” would involve several allied countries, warning that “no one can predict what will happen tomorrow.”
The joint mission aims to map out further cooperation to bolster regional security and “strengthen our ability to operate in the area,” Poulsen said.
‘End of the World as We Know It’
Not all European allies will be part of the operation. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that his government will not be sending any soldiers, adding that an attack by any NATO country on the territory of another would be “the end of the world as we know it.”
“An attempt to take over (part of) a NATO member state by another NATO member state would be a political disaster,” Tusk told a press conference.
“It would be the end of the world as we know it, which guaranteed a world based on NATO solidarity, which held back the evil forces associated with communist terror or other forms of aggression.”
The White House has said that Washington is keen to do a deal to either gain control of or have greater access to Greenland, with high ranking officials including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) rejecting the notion of a U.S. military operation to seize the Arctic island.
Trump’s special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, said he plans to visit the Danish territory in March and believes a deal can be made.
“I do believe that there’s a deal that should and will be made once this plays out,” Landry told Fox News in a Friday interview.
“The president is serious. I think he’s laid the markers down. He’s told Denmark what he’s looking for.”
Reuters and PA Media contributed to this report
Friends Read Free
Copy
Facebook
Tweet
