Greenland’s defence is ‘common concern’ for Nato, Danish PM says as European troops fly in

Original article by Miranda Bryant Nordic correspondent

The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said Greenland’s defence was a “common concern” for the whole of Nato, as troops started arriving from across Europe as a result of Donald Trump’s threats to take the Arctic island by force.

Troops from France, Germany, the UK, Norway and Sweden, among others, were on their way to Greenland, a largely autonomous territory of the kingdom of Denmark, on Thursday. Denmark also announced it would be increasing its military presence.

It comes after a difficult meeting in Washington on Wednesday between the foreign ministers of Greenland and Denmark, Vivian Motzfeldt and Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and the US vice-president, JD Vance, and secretary of state, Marco Rubio.

The visit was intended to smooth relations between Denmark and Greenland and the US, but it did not appear to have had the desired effect. Afterwards, Trump reiterated his previous comments that the US “needs” Greenland for national security, adding that Denmark could not be relied on to protect the island and that “something will work out”.

In a statement released on Thursday, Frederiksen said it was “not an easy meeting” and that a working group was now being set up to discuss how Arctic security could be improved.

“However, that does not change the fact that there is a fundamental disagreement because the American ambition to take over Greenland is intact,” she added. “This is obviously serious and therefore we continue our efforts to prevent that scenario from becoming a reality.”

There was, she said, agreement within Nato that “a strengthened presence in the Arctic is crucial for European and North American security”.

She added that Denmark had “invested significantly in new Arctic capabilities”, while “a number of allies” were taking part in joint exercises “in and around” Greenland. “The defence and protection of Greenland is a common concern for the entire Nato alliance,” she said.

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland’s prime minister, said the first meeting marked “an important step” and that “dialogue is now under way”. However, he stipulated that dialogue with the US was dependent on “respect for our constitutional position, for international law, and for our right to our own country”.

Nielsen also reiterated several points including that Greenland was “not for sale”, would not be owned by, governed by or be part of the US, and was a “democratic society with self-government”, part of the kingdom of Denmark and, in turn, a member of Nato.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, announced on Wednesday that the first members of the French military were “already en route” and that “others will follow”. About 15 French soldiers from the mountain infantry unit were already in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, for a military exercise, French authorities said. Meanwhile, Germany on Thursday said it would deploy a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel to Greenland. The Netherlands and the UK have also said they will take part in the joint exercises led by Denmark under the name “operation Arctic endurance”.

While a significant moment in terms of symbolism, the total number of troops will be in the dozens and the duration of the deployment is unknown.

The Danish defence minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, said on Thursday that he planned to establish “a more permanent military presence” on Greenland “with a larger Danish contribution”. Military personnel from multiple Nato countries would be in Greenland on a rotation system, he said.

After the high-stakes meeting in Washington, Løkke Rasmussen said there continued to be a “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland, adding that it remained “clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland”.

Trump said: “We really need it.” He added: “If we don’t go in, Russia is going to go in and China is going to go in. And there’s not a thing Denmark can do about it, but we can do everything about it.”

Danish and Greenlandic politicians gathered in Copenhagen on Thursday to celebrate Greenlandic New Year’s Eve. On Friday, members of the Danish parliament, a Greenlandic committee will meet a delegation of members of US congress at the Danish parliament to talk about cooperation between them.

On Saturday, protests are planned at locations across Denmark and in Nuuk.