NUUK, Greenland — Troops from several European countries including France, Germany, Britain, Norway and Sweden are arriving in Greenland in a show of support for Denmark, while talks between representatives of Denmark, Greenland and the US on Wednesday revealed a “fundamental disagreement” between the Trump administration and European allies over the Arctic island’s future.
Denmark announced Wednesday it would increase its military presence in Greenland and several European partners began sending symbolic numbers of troops that day, just as the Danish and Greenland foreign ministers prepared to meet with White House representatives in Washington.
The troop movements were intended to portray unity among Europeans and send a signal to U.S. President Donald Trump that a U.S. takeover of Greenland is not necessary because together NATO can ensure the security of the Arctic amid growing Russian and Chinese interest.
“The first French military elements are already on their way” and “others will follow,” French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Wednesday, while French authorities said around 15 soldiers from the mountain infantry unit were already in Nuuk for a military exercise.
Germany will send a 13-man reconnaissance team to Greenland on Thursday, the Defense Ministry said.
On Thursday, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the aim was “to establish a more permanent military presence with a greater Danish contribution,” according to Danish broadcaster DR. He said soldiers from different NATO countries will be in Greenland on a rotational basis.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lkke Rasmussen, flanked by his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt, said Wednesday that a “fundamental disagreement” over Greenland remains with Trump after they held long-awaited talks at the White House with Vice President JD Vance and Foreign Minister Marco Rubio.
Rasmussen added that it “remains clear that the president has a desire to conquer Greenland” but that dialogue with the US will continue at a high level in the coming weeks.
Residents of Greenland and Denmark reacted with concern, but also with some relief, that negotiations with the US would continue and European support would become visible.
In Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, locals told The Associated Press they were pleased that the first meeting between Greenlandic, Danish and U.S. officials had taken place, but suggested it left more questions than answers.
Several people said they saw Denmark’s decision to send more troops, and promises of support from other NATO allies, as protection against possible U.S. military action. But European military officials have not suggested the aim is to deter US action against the island.
Maya Martinsen, 21, agreed, saying it was “comforting to know that the Scandinavian countries are sending reinforcements” because Greenland is part of Denmark and NATO.
The dispute, she said, is not about “national security” but rather about “the oils and minerals that we have that are untapped.”
More troops, more conversations
On Wednesday, Poulsen had announced an increased military presence in the Arctic “in close cooperation with our allies,” calling it a necessity in a security environment where “no one can predict what will happen tomorrow.”
“This means that from today and in the near future there will be a greater military presence in and around Greenland of aircraft, ships and soldiers, including from other NATO allies,” Poulsen said.
When asked whether European troop movements were coordinated with NATO and what role the US-led military alliance could play in the exercises, NATO referred all questions to Danish authorities. However, NATO is currently studying ways to strengthen security in the Arctic.
Rasmussen, the Danish foreign minister, announced the creation of a working group with the Americans to discuss ways to resolve the differences.
“The group, in our view, should focus on how to address U.S. security concerns while respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said.
Commenting on the outcome of the meeting in Washington on Thursday, Poulsen said the working group was “better than no working group” and “a step in the right direction”. He nevertheless added that dialogue with the US did not mean that “the danger had passed”.
“We are very pleased that action is being taken to ensure that this discussion does not end with that meeting alone,” Greenland MP Aki-Matilda Hegh-Dam said at a press conference in Copenhagen on Thursday.
She said Greenlanders understood that they were a “critical point” in a broader transformation of the international rules-based order, and that they felt responsible not only for themselves but also for the whole world to get it right.
Hegh-Dam said the military operations should not take place “right next to our schools and right next to our kindergartens.”
Line McGee, a 38-year-old from Copenhagen, told AP she was happy to see some diplomatic progress. “I don’t think the threat has gone away,” she said. “But I feel a little better than yesterday.”
Speaking to FOX News Channel’s Special Report on Wednesday after the White House talks, Rasmussen rejected both a military takeover and the possible US purchase of the island. Asked whether he thinks the US will invade, he replied: “No, at least I hope not, because that would mean the end of NATO.”
Rasmussen said Greenlanders are unlikely to vote for U.S. rule even if financial incentives are offered, “because I don’t think there’s any way the U.S. will pay for a Scandinavian social security system in Greenland, to be honest.”
“You have not yet introduced a Scandinavian social security system in your own country,” he added.
Trump said during his Oval Office meeting with reporters: “We’ll see how it all works out. I think something will work out.”
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