Nuuk, 16 January (H.S.): Troops from multiple European nations arrived in Greenland on Thursday, bolstering Denmark's military footprint amid President Donald Trump's unyielding campaign to acquire the strategic Arctic territory, as White House-Danish talks revealed irreconcilable differences over its future.
Germany deployed a 13-member reconnaissance team, while France dispatched around 15 mountain infantry soldiers already en route to Nuuk for exercises, joined by commitments from the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands for rotational presences through 2026.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced an expanded permanent Danish contingent alongside NATO allies, framing the buildup as essential in an unpredictable security landscape threatened by Russian and Chinese advances.
The deployments followed Wednesday's White House discussions between Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Greenland Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, U.S. Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which Rasmussen described as addressing American concerns while upholding Denmark's red lines on sovereignty.
The White House, however, labeled upcoming sessions technical talks on the acquisition agreement, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt affirming that European moves neither altered Trump's national security imperative nor deterred his acquisition goal.
Greenland Premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen reiterated Thursday that Greenland is not for sale and rejects U.S. governance, welcoming diplomacy despite local anxieties over resources like untapped oils and minerals. NATO deferred to Danish coordination on exercises, while Russia decried the maneuvers as anti-Russian hysteria, and bipartisan U.S. senators urged cooperative Arctic security over confrontation.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
