22/01/2026
European military personnel are arriving in Greenland to bolster its security following a meeting between US, Danish, and Greenlandic officials that ended without a settlement. This comes after repeated calls from President Donald Trump to make Greenland part of the United States.
Greenland is strategically located in the Arctic Circle, an area that also includes the US, Canada, Russia, and Norway. The Joint Arctic Command Center in Greenland's capital, Nuuk, serves as its defense headquarters. Rory Challands reports from Nuuk, noting the increased military activity with Denmark and European allies sending extra personnel. Countries like the UK, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and France are participating in Denmark's Operation Arctic Endurance. Denmark is also increasing its Arctic defense funding by $4.2 billion, which includes new ships, aircraft, drones, and radar systems. This effort aims to persuade Donald Trump that Denmark and its NATO allies are serious about Arctic defense and to complicate any potential US military incursion into Greenland.
French President Emmanuel Macron stated that France will increase its military presence in Greenland, emphasizing Europe's responsibility for Greenland as an autonomous territory of Denmark and part of NATO. Natacha Butler reports from Paris that Macron highlighted the "brutal world" and "new form of colonialism," implying the need for Europeans to defend their sovereignty. She notes a shift in European leaders being more ready to take Trump seriously and respond, leading to the deployment of military personnel.
Meanwhile, Russia's foreign ministry rejected Washington's claim that US intervention in Greenland is necessary to counter threats from Moscow and Beijing. The spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, called the "Russian threat" a myth used by Washington to justify its claims on Greenland, which it now views as natural.
