U.S. President Donald Trump has renewed his sights on taking the island
NATO nations deploy to Greenland after tense White House talks
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Several NATO members are deploying small numbers of troops to Greenland for a joint military exercise, in the wake of tense talks with the White House about the U.S. desire to annex it.
Denmark, which is responsible for Greenland’s defense, Germany, France, Sweden and Norway have all confirmed plans to send military personnel to the sparsely populated island this week.
U.S. President Donald Trump has renewed his sights on taking the island following an audacious military intervention in Venezuela to depose its president Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3.
The troop deployment comes shortly after the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland held talks with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House.
Speaking to reporters alongside Greenland’s Vivian Motzfeldt, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said there had been a “fundamental disagreement” with the U.S., but said the hour-long meeting was “frank but constructive.”
Vance and Rubio did not immediately comment after the meeting. Trump, however, told reporters in the Oval Office: “We need Greenland for national security.”
The U.S., Denmark and Greenland agreed to establish a high-level working group to discuss the future of the island, although, as had been widely expected, the three countries were unable to find a diplomatic resolution to defuse tensions.
Before the meeting, Denmark announced plans on Wednesday to beef up its military presence in and around Greenland, saying the exercise activities could include guarding national infrastructure, deploying fighter aircraft and conducting naval operations.
Germany’s Defense Ministry said it would deploy a “reconnaissance team” of 13 personnel to Nuuk, Greenland, at the invitation of Denmark.
The mission, which will take place Thursday through Saturday, is designed to explore the framework for possible military contributions to ensure security in the region, Germany’s Defense Ministry said, including maritime surveillance capabilities.
