Denmark has deployed additional troops to Greenland in response to renewed threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to take control of the autonomous Danish territory, escalating tensions in the Arctic region.
According to Danish media outlets DR and TV2, 58 Danish soldiers arrived Monday evening in Kangerlussuaq, western Greenland, joining nearly 60 troops who had been sent earlier. The soldiers are participating in a multinational military exercise dubbed Operation Arctic Endurance. The move comes as security concerns mount following Trump’s refusal to rule out military force to seize the strategically located island.
Earlier on Monday, Trump told NBC News he had “no comment” when asked whether he would use military power to take over Greenland. Over the weekend, he reportedly suggested in a message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre that he no longer felt bound to “think only about peace,” reiterating his long-standing claim that Greenland is “vital” to U.S. national security.
While Denmark has shown openness to an increased U.S. military presence in the Arctic, it has repeatedly stressed that Greenland is not for sale. Danish officials warn that any attempt to seize the island by force would challenge NATO’s very existence, as both Denmark and the United States are members of the alliance and bound by its collective defense clause.
The dispute has pushed U.S.–European relations to their lowest point in decades, raising fears of a breakdown in the transatlantic security partnership. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte met on Monday with Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen and Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt to discuss strengthening Arctic security, including the possibility of a joint NATO mission in Danish territory.
Economic tensions are also rising. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Denmark and seven other European countries unless an agreement is reached on purchasing Greenland, stoking fears of a full-blown transatlantic trade war. In response, the European Union has scheduled an emergency meeting to consider counter-tariffs and the activation of its so-called “trade bazooka,” which could restrict U.S. tech companies’ activities in the EU.
Public opinion in Greenland remains firmly opposed to joining the United States. A poll commissioned last year by the Danish daily Berlingske found that 85 percent of Greenlanders do not want to become part of the U.S., while only 6 percent support the idea.
As geopolitical rivalries intensify in the Arctic, Denmark’s latest troop deployment underscores growing concerns that Greenland could become a new flashpoint in global power politics.
