A small French military contingent has arrived in Greenland’s capital Nuuk as part of a limited European deployment aimed at strengthening NATO’s presence in the Arctic.
The move comes at a sensitive time, as US President Donald Trump continues to press his claim that the United States needs Greenland for its national security.
France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and the UK are all taking part in the Danish-led exercises, known as Operation Arctic Endurance.
The deployment involves only a few dozen personnel, but European officials say the message is political as much as military. French President Emmanuel Macron said the initial French team of 15 personnel would soon be reinforced with land, air and sea assets.
Senior French diplomat Olivier Poivre d’Arvor said the mission was meant to show that NATO is present in the region and that Europe also has a stake in Greenland’s security.
Germany has sent an A400M transport plane with 13 soldiers, while Finland is dispatching two liaison officers for a fact-finding role. Sweden, Norway, the UK and the Netherlands are also sending small numbers of officers.
The deployment follows talks in Washington between Danish and Greenlandic ministers and US Vice-President JD Vance.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said the discussions were constructive but confirmed there was a “fundamental disagreement” over Trump’s ambition to bring Greenland under US control.
Trump has said the US “needs Greenland for national security” and did not rule out the use of force, although he said he believed a deal could be worked out.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that any US military move against Greenland would be a political disaster for NATO.
Russia also criticized the growing NATO presence in the Arctic, accusing the alliance of using false threats as a pretext to build up forces.
Denmark says the goal is to increase NATO’s footprint in the Arctic through rotating deployments and joint training. While the US already has a base in Greenland, European allies want to signal that Greenland’s security is a shared responsibility.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has said his people do not want to become part of the United States and would choose to remain with Denmark.
