Denmark Bolsters Greenland Military Amid Trump's Annexation Threats as EU Troops Arrive, Russia Slams NATO Militarization
President Donald Trump’s insistence on the United States taking control of Greenland puts the future of America’s relationship with Europe in danger.
Aadrika Tayal 
New Delhi (India) January 15: Denmark announced its plans to increase its own military presence in Greenland on Wednesday as the Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers met with representatives of the White House in Washington, DC, to discuss Trump’s intentions to take over the semiautonomous Danish territory to tap its mineral resources amid rising Russian and Chinese interest.
EU Allies Deploy Troops to Counter US Pressure
Soldiers from France, Germany and other European countries have begun arriving in Greenland to help boost the Arctic island’s security after talks involving Denmark, Greenland and the United States highlighted “fundamental disagreement” between President Donald Trump’s administration and its European allies.
The first French military elements are already en route and “others will follow,” French President Emmanuel Macron said as French authorities said soldiers from the country’s mountain infantry unit were already in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital. France said the two-day mission is a way to show that EU troops can be quickly deployed if needed.
Meanwhile, Germany’s Ministry of Defence said it was deploying a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel to Greenland on Thursday.
Russia Accuses West of Arctic Militarization
Amid the tensions, Moscow has expressed “serious concern” and accused the West of militarizing the island as European military personnel started arriving in Greenland.
“NATO has embarked on a course of accelerated militarization of the Arctic, increasing its military presence there under the fabricated pretext of a growing threat from Moscow and Beijing,” the statement said.
Trump's Golden Dome Plan Sparks Sovereignty Clash
Trump has publicly floated the idea of seizing Greenland, an autonomous territory under Danish sovereignty, claiming it was "vital" for his planned Golden Dome air and missile defense system while facing fierce opposition from Greenland and Denmark.
The White House said Wednesday that if the U.S. failed to gain control of Greenland for national security reasons, “Russia or China will” do so instead.
Greenland Chooses Denmark Over US Takeover
Amid US President Donald Trump's persistent annexation threats, Greenland categorically ruled out joining the United States, saying the Arctic territory prefers to be in a union with Denmark. Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said that given a choice between the United States and Denmark, the island would choose to be part of the European nation, suggesting that the island is putting its independence plans on the back burner for now.
"We are now facing a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, then we choose Denmark. We choose the Greenland we know today, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark," Nielsen said.
