European troops arrive in Greenland to support Denmark

Denmark announced it would increase its military presence in Greenland on Wednesday as foreign ministers from Denmark and Greenland were preparing to meet with White House representatives in Washington. An Airbus A400M transport aircraft of the German Air Force taxis over the grounds at Wunstorf Air Base in the Hanover region, Germany, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026 as troops from NATO countries, including France and Germany, are arriving in Greenland to boost security(Moritz Frankenberg/dpa via AP) Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt speak at a news conference at the Embassy of Denmark, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Washington.(AP Photo/John McDonnell) People walk on a street in Nuuk, Greenland, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026(AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) Fishermen load fishing lines into a boat in the harbour of Nuuk, Greenland, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026(AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka) Secretary of State Marco Rubio makes a statement to reporters while meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan at the State Department in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)(AP) Several European partners - including France, Germany, the UK, Norway and Sweden - started sending symbolic numbers of troops already on Wednesday or promised to do so in the following days. The troop movements were intended to portray unity among Europeans and send a signal to President Donald Trump that an American takeover of Greenland is not necessary as NATO together can safeguard the security of the Arctic region amid rising Russian and Chinese interest. "The first French military elements are already en route" and "others will follow," French President Emmanuel Macron announced Wednesday, as French authorities said about 15 soldiers from the mountain infantry unit were already in Nuuk for a military exercise. Germany will deploy a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel to Greenland on Thursday, the Defence Ministry said. On Thursday, Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the intention was "to establish a more permanent military presence with a larger Danish contribution," according to Danish broadcaster DR. He said soldiers from several NATO countries will be in Greenland on a rotation system. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, flanked by his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt, said on Wednesday that a "fundamental disagreement" over Greenland remains with Trump after they held highly anticipated talks at the White House with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rasmussen added that it remains "clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland" but that dialogue with the US would continue at a high level over the following weeks. 'Greenland does not want to be part of the United States' Inhabitants of Greenland and Denmark reacted with anxiety but also some relief that negotiations with the US would go on and European support was becoming visible. Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the continuation of "dialogue and diplomacy." "Greenland is not for sale," he said Thursday. "Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States. Greenland does not want to be governed from the United...

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