The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, has said Greenland’s defence is 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 had not been an easy meeting and that a working group was 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 said. “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 said 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.
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 would follow. About 15 French soldiers from the mountain infantry unit were already in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, for a military exercise, French authorities said.
Germany said on Thursday that it would deploy a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel. 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.
It is a significant moment in terms of symbolism, but the total number of troops will be in the dozens and the duration of the deployment is unknown.
Discussions are also being held within Nato about creating an air-policing mission for the Arctic, along the lines of the existing Eastern Sentry operation, on the alliance’s eastern flank.
Though the talks go back to last year, when Trump first mooted acquiring Greenland as president, they have gained impetus in the past few days, a senior diplomat from a European Nato member said.
“We have to keep Trump happy on Greenland,” they said.
After the high-stakes meeting in Washington, Rasmussen said there continued to be a fundamental disagreement over the island, and that it remained “clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland”.
Trump said: “We really need it … 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. Members of the Danish parliament and a Greenlandic committee will meet a delegation of members of the US Congress at the Danish parliament on Friday to talk about cooperation.
A series of protests is planned across Denmark and in Nuuk on Saturday.
A CNN poll found that three-quarters of Americans opposed the US trying to take control of Greenland, of whom 52% strongly oppose such a move.
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