A small contingent of European troops has arrived in Greenland in a move heavy with political symbolism, as tensions grow between the United States and its European allies over the future of the Arctic island.
15 French soldiers landed this week in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, joined by 13 German personnel, with Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom also taking part in what European officials describe as a reconnaissance and training mission. The deployment comes after talks between Denmark, Greenland, and the United States exposed what Danish officials called a “fundamental disagreement” over President Donald Trump’s renewed push to bring Greenland under US control.
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France’s President Emmanuel Macron said the initial deployment would soon be reinforced with land, air and sea assets, describing the mission as a demonstration that European forces can be deployed quickly if required. French mountain infantry troops are already on the ground, and the exercise will include the symbolic planting of the European Union flag.
Germany’s defence ministry confirmed that its team would remain in Greenland only briefly, as part of Danish led joint drills known as Operation Arctic Endurance. Danish defence officials said the broader aim was to strengthen Nato’s footprint in the Arctic through rotating deployments that could later become more permanent.
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The move follows high level meetings in Washington, where Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland’s foreign minister met US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. While Rasmussen described the talks as constructive, he later said there was still deep disagreement over Washington’s intentions.
“This is 2026. You trade with people, but you do not trade people,” Rasmussen said, rejecting Trump’s suggestion that Greenland could be bought.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen struck an equally firm tone, saying his territory was facing a geopolitical crisis but had no desire to change its status. “Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed by the United States. Greenland does not want to be part of the United States,” he said.
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Trump has insisted that the island is vital to US national security, telling reporters in the Oval Office that “we need Greenland for national security”, while suggesting that Denmark could not defend it alone against Russia or China. He later said he believed a solution could be reached without force.
European leaders have reacted cautiously. Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that any attempt by one NATO member to annex the territory of another would be disastrous, calling it “the end of the world as we know it”. Russia, meanwhile, accused NATO of using a false threat from Moscow and Beijing to justify a growing military presence in the Arctic.
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Although the European deployment numbers only a few dozen troops and is expected to be short lived, diplomats say its message is clear. Senior French diplomat Olivier Poivre d’Arvor described it as a political signal aimed at Washington, saying: “This is a first exercise. We will show the US that Nato is present.”
