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Akbar Novruz

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Several NATO countries have begun deploying small numbers of military personnel to Greenland to take part in joint exercises with Denmark, amid escalating tensions sparked by US President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to forcibly annex the Arctic island, Azernews reports via CNN.

Denmark, which is responsible for Greenland’s defense, has warned that any attack on the territory would effectively bring an end to NATO. Copenhagen announced this week that it is expanding its military presence in Greenland “in close cooperation with NATO allies.”

Germany, Sweden, France and Norway have confirmed they are sending troops to Greenland this week for joint exercises with Danish forces. Canada and France have also announced plans to open consulates in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, in the coming weeks, underscoring growing diplomatic engagement.

While joint NATO exercises in the Arctic are not unusual and have intensified in recent years, the timing and symbolism of these deployments are widely seen as a strong show of European solidarity at a moment of unprecedented internal strain within the alliance. The United States currently maintains around 150 troops at its Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland.

Trump has been increasingly vocal about his ambitions to bring Greenland under US control, including by force if necessary. Speaking at a press conference with oil executives, he said he was “going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not.” In a subsequent post on Truth Social, Trump argued that US control of Greenland was “unacceptable” to forego and would make NATO “far more formidable.”

European governments reacted cautiously but firmly. Germany’s Defense Ministry said it is sending a 13-member reconnaissance team to Greenland at Denmark’s invitation as part of an “exploration mission” alongside allied forces. Sweden confirmed it had dispatched an unspecified number of officers to help prepare for an upcoming exercise dubbed Operation Arctic Endurance. France and Norway also confirmed participation, with Paris stating that the first French units were already en route.

The developments came as Danish and Greenlandic officials held talks in Washington with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen described the discussions as “frank but constructive,” while acknowledging that a “fundamental disagreement” remains. The sides agreed to establish a high-level working group to explore possible paths forward.

NATO’s founding principle holds that an attack on one member is an attack on all, making US threats against Greenland, which is part of the alliance through Denmark, highly controversial. Denmark’s Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen described the idea of a US attack as “completely hypothetical,” adding that it is unlikely one NATO member would attack another.

Canada and France reiterated their support for Denmark and Greenland’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said Ottawa remains committed to Arctic security, while France’s foreign minister urged Washington to stop threatening Greenland, warning that such rhetoric undermines allied interests.

As diplomatic efforts continue, the troop deployments highlight growing unease within NATO over the future of the alliance and the stability of transatlantic security relations.