European deployments in Greenland send strong message after US-Denmark-Greenland talks stall
A Royal Danish Air Force plane carrying personnel in military fatigues lands at Nuuk airport Greenland, January 14, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS
European countries sent small numbers of military personnel to Greenland on Thursday as Denmark said it was pressing ahead with plans for a “larger and more permanent” NATO presence to secure the island coveted by US President Donald Trump.
The modest European deployments, meant to help Denmark prepare military exercises, sent a strong message a day after US, Danish, and Greenlandic officials failed to reach a breakthrough on the dispute.
After the meeting, Trump reiterated that Denmark could not be relied upon to protect Greenland if Russia or China ever sought to occupy it. He called the strategically located and mineral-rich island vital to US security and has not ruled out using force. Greenland and Denmark insist the island is not for sale and that threats of force are reckless.
Denmark plans Arctic security expansion
Denmark’s Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen told journalists he did not have a final figure for the expanded NATO presence. “But it is clear we now can plan for a larger and more permanent presence throughout 2026, and that is crucial to show that security in the Arctic is not only for the Kingdom of Denmark; it is for all of NATO.”
Prominent EU countries have backed Denmark, warning that a U.S. military seizure of Greenland could threaten NATO’s future. Before Wednesday’s meeting in the U.S., Greenland and Denmark said they had begun increasing their military presence in cooperation with NATO allies. Denmark has about 150 military and civilian personnel at its Joint Arctic Command.
A Greenland flag flies as people walk on the day of a meeting between top US officials and the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland, in Nuuk, Greenland, January 14, 2026.PHOTO: REUTERS
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Initial European deployments
Germany: reconnaissance team of 13 personnel
France: 15 mountain specialists, to be reinforced later by land, air, and naval assets
Sweden: three officers
Norway: two officers
Finland: two liaison officers
Netherlands: one navy officer
UUK: one officer
Late Wednesday, a Danish Air Force plane landed at Nuuk airport with personnel in military fatigues.
Reactions and purpose
In Nuuk, business owner Mads Petersen said it would be strange to see more troops. “I don’t hope it is the new normal,” he said.
Russia dismissed NATO concerns about Moscow and Beijing as a myth designed to whip up hysteria and warned against escalating confrontation in the Arctic. There is little evidence of significant Chinese or Russian naval activity near Greenland.
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The European deployments send two messages, according to Marc Jacobsen, associate professor at the Royal Danish Defence College:
To deter any US military action in Greenland.
To show that Denmark and NATO take sovereignty and Arctic surveillance seriously.
Diplomatic talks
Following a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, Denmark and Greenland will form a working group to address US concerns.
Addressing about 300 Greenlanders in Copenhagen, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen stressed unity and said the island does not want to be run by or become part of the US “We choose the Greenland we know today, as part of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said, receiving a standing ovation.
