European troops arrive in Greenland : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3447x2305+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdd%2F5c%2Fd00ad02e4b5ab61e62c079d5bfe8%2Fap26014780672559.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3447x2305+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdd%2F5c%2Fd00ad02e4b5ab61e62c079d5bfe8%2Fap26014780672559.jpg" class="img" alt="Greenland Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, left, and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, arrive on Capitol Hill to meet with members of the Senate Arctic Caucus, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026." fetchpriority="high"/> Greenland Overseas Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, left, and Danish Overseas Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, arrive on Capitol Hill to fulfill with members of the Senate Arctic Caucus, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. J. Scott Applewhite/AP disguise caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP NUUK, Greenland — Troops from a number of European international locations, together with France, Germany, Norway and Sweden, are arriving in Greenland to assist enhance the Arctic island's safety after talks between representatives of Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. on Wednesday highlighted "elementary disagreement" between the Trump administration and European allies.

"The primary French army components are already en route" and "others will observe," French President Emmanuel Macron introduced Wednesday, as French authorities stated about 15 French troopers from the mountain infantry unit had been already in Nuuk for a army train.

Germany will deploy a reconnaissance workforce of 13 personnel to Greenland on Thursday, its Protection Ministry stated.

Denmark introduced it might improve its army presence in Greenland, with NATO allies becoming a member of them, simply because the Danish and Greenlandic overseas ministers met with White Home representatives on Wednesday in Washington to debate U.S. President Donald Trump's intentions to take over the island with the intention to faucet its mineral assets and shield the safety of the Arctic area amid rising Russian and Chinese language curiosity.

On Thursday, Danish Protection Minister Troels Lund Poulsen stated the intention was "to ascertain a extra everlasting army presence with a bigger Danish contribution," in response to Danish broadcaster DR. He stated troopers from a number of NATO international locations shall be in Greenland on a rotation system.

Danish Overseas Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, flanked by his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt, stated Wednesday {that a} "elementary disagreement" over Greenland stays with Trump after they held extremely anticipated talks on the White Home with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Rasmussen added that it stays "clear that the president has this want of conquering over Greenland."

"We actually want it," Trump advised media within the Oval Workplace after the assembly. "If we do not go in, Russia goes to go in and China goes to go in. And there is not a factor Denmark can do about it, however we will do every little thing about it."

Trump stated he had not but been briefed concerning the contents of the White Home assembly when he made his remarks.

In Greenland's capital, Nuuk, native residents advised The Related Press they had been glad the primary assembly between Greenlandic, Danish and American officers had taken place however urged it left extra questions than solutions.

A number of folks stated they seen Denmark's choice to ship extra troops, and guarantees of help from different NATO allies, as safety towards doable U.S. army motion. However European army officers haven't urged the objective is to discourage a U.S. transfer towards the island.

Maya Martinsen, 21, agreed and stated it was "comforting to know that the Nordic international locations are sending reinforcements" as a result of Greenland is part of Denmark and NATO.

The dispute, she stated, will not be about "nationwide safety" however reasonably about "the oils and minerals that we now have which are untouched."

Extra troops, extra talks On Wednesday, Poulsen had introduced a stepped-up army presence within the Arctic "in shut cooperation with our allies," calling it a necessity in a safety setting by which "nobody can predict what is going to occur tomorrow."

"Which means that from at this time and within the coming time there shall be an elevated army presence in and round Greenland of plane, ships and troopers, together with from different NATO allies," Poulsen stated.

Requested whether or not the European troop actions had been coordinated with NATO or what position the U.S.-led army alliance would possibly play within the workout routines, NATO referred all inquiries to the Danish authorities.

Nevertheless, NATO is how members can collectively bolster the alliance's presence within the Arctic, in response to a NATO official who was not licensed to remark publicly and spoke on situation of anonymity.

Rasmussen, the Danish overseas minister, introduced the creation of a working group with the Individuals to debate methods to work by means of variations.

"The group, in our view, ought to deal with the way to tackle the American safety considerations, whereas on the identical time respecting the crimson strains of the Kingdom of Denmark," he stated.

Commenting on the end result of the Washington assembly on Thursday, Poulsen stated the working group was "higher than no working group" and "a step in the appropriate route." He added however that the dialogue with the U.S. didn't imply "the hazard has handed."

Line McGee, a 38-year previous from Copenhagen, advised AP that she was glad to see some diplomatic progress. "I do not suppose the risk has gone away," she stated. "However I really feel barely higher than I did yesterday."

Chatting with FOX Information Channel's Particular Report on Wednesday after the White Home talks, Rasmussen rejected each a army takeover and the potential buy of the island by the U.S. Requested whether or not he thinks the U.S. will invade, he replied: "No, at the least I don't hope so, as a result of, I imply, that will be the top of NATO."

Rasmussen stated Greenlanders had been unlikely to vote for U.S. rule even when monetary incentives had been supplied "as a result of I feel there is not any manner that U.S. can pay for a Scandinavian welfare system in Greenland, truthfully talking."