US annexation threats escalate/ Several NATO countries send military troops to Greenland

2026-01-15 08:30:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

US annexation threats escalate/ Several NATO countries send military troops to

Several NATO countries have decided to send a small number of military personnel to Greenland to participate in joint exercises with Denmark, at a time when US President Donald Trump is stepping up his threats to forcibly annex the Arctic island.

Trump's statements have plunged the US-led security alliance into crisis, raising the possibility that NATO's largest and most powerful member could annex another's territory.

Denmark, which is responsible for defending Greenland, has warned that an attack on Greenland would end NATO and announced on Wednesday that it was expanding its military presence in close cooperation with NATO allies.

Germany, Sweden, France and Norway have all confirmed they will send military personnel to Greenland this week for a joint exercise with Danish troops. Canada and France have also said they plan to open consulates in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, in the coming weeks.

It is not uncommon for NATO countries to send troops to train in other NATO countries, and there has been a push for years by allies, including the US, to increase joint exercises in the Arctic Circle. The US has about 150 troops stationed at its Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland.

But both the timing and symbolism of the recent announcements from European nations are an important show of solidarity at a time of unprecedented tension within NATO.

Trump has been extremely vocal about his ambitions to take control of the world's largest island, including by force if necessary, saying he would do something to Greenland whether they like it or not, during a press conference with oil executives on Friday.

In a statement on Wednesday, the German Defense Ministry said it is sending a reconnaissance team of 13 military personnel to Greenland on Thursday for an exploration mission together with other partner countries, at the invitation of Denmark.

Sweden also sent an unspecified number of troops to Greenland on Wednesday at Denmark's request, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced in X. The Swedish officers will be part of a group of troops from other allied countries who will together prepare for an upcoming exercise called Operation Arctic Resilience, he added.

French President Emmanuel Macron said that France will also participate in Operation Arctic Endurance.

"The first French military units are already on the way. The others will follow," he wrote in X.

Norway is also sending two defense personnel to Greenland, a spokesman for the Norwegian Ministry of Defense confirmed to CNN. NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is a long-standing military alliance between 30 European nations, as well as the United States and Canada. /CNA