European military personnel arrive in Greenland as Trump says the US needs the island

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 on the Arctic island, which is a semi-autonomous part of Denmark.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the first deployment of troops 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 will show the US that NATO is there.”

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

After the meeting, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said that while the talks were going well, there remained a “fundamental disagreement” between the two sides and later criticized Trump’s offer to buy Greenland.

Trump, meanwhile, doubled down on his desire 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 on Wednesday that he thought something could be done in Denmark.

“The problem is that there is not one thing Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there is everything we can do. You found that last week in Venezuela.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Poland did not plan to join the European military deployment in Greenland, but warned that any US military intervention there “would be a political disaster”.

“The conflict or attempt to conquer the territory of one Nato member by another Nato member is the end of the world as we know it – and that for many years has guaranteed our security,” he said at a press conference.

The Russian embassy in Belgium has meanwhile expressed “serious concern” over 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”.

However, the European Nato deployment consists of only a few dozen personnel as part of a joint Danish-led exercise called Operation Arctic Endurance. While heavy on symbolism, it’s not immediately clear how long they’ll stick around.

Germany sent an A400M transport plane to Nuuk on Thursday with a contingent of 13 soldiers, although officials said they would remain in Greenland until Saturday.

Danish defense officials said they had decided with the Greenland government to have an increased military presence around Greenland in the near future to strengthen “Nato’s footprint in the Arctic for the benefit of European and transatlantic security”.

Macron, in his new year speech to the French armed forces, said that Europeans have a special responsibility for Greenland “because this territory belongs to the European Union and it is also one of our NATO allies”.

The US already has a military base in Greenland, which currently has a staff of up to 150 people, and has the option to bring in larger numbers under the existing Copenhagen accords. But the Danish-led initiative is seen as signaling to the Trump administration that its European allies also have a stake in the security of the Arctic and North Atlantic.

Sweden’s prime minister said Swedish army officers were sent to Nuuk on Wednesday. Two Norwegian and one British military officer were also sent.

Downing Street said the UK shared President Trump’s concern about “security in the High North”, and said the deployment involved “promoting stronger exercises, to prevent Russian aggression and Chinese activity.”

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Thursday that the defense and protection of Greenland is a common concern for the entire Nato alliance.

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

Copenhagen opposes Trump’s justification for wanting to control Greenland. Rasmussen, its foreign minister, said on Wednesday that there was no “sudden threat” from China or Russia that Denmark and Greenland could not accommodate, although he shared America’s security concerns to some extent.

A US delegation led by Democrats is due to visit Denmark on Friday for talks with Danish MPs.

Rasmussen spoke with Greenland’s foreign minister after talks with Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday.

“The president’s ambition is on the table,” the Danish diplomat told Fox News. “Of course we are on our red lines. This is 2026, you trade with people but you don’t trade people.”

The Prime Minister of Greenland, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said this week that the territory is in the midst of a geopolitical crisis, and that if his people were asked to make a choice they would choose Denmark over the US.

“Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed by the United States.