Politics

A group of 15 French soldiers has arrived in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. This deployment is part of a reconnaissance mission involving troops from several European countries, including Germany, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, and the UK. This move comes as US President Donald Trump continues to assert his interest in the Arctic island, which is a semi-autonomous region of Denmark. French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned that the initial group would soon be supported by additional “land, air, and sea assets.” Senior diplomat Olivier Poivre d’Arvor described the mission as a significant political statement, saying, “This is a first exercise... we’ll show the US that NATO is present.” The arrival of these military personnel follows a visit by Denmark and Greenland’s foreign ministers to Washington, where they met with US Vice-President JD Vance on Wednesday. After the discussions, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen stated that while the talks were productive, there was still a “fundamental disagreement” on the issues at hand, specifically criticizing Trump’s proposal to purchase Greenland. Meanwhile, Trump reiterated his intention to bring Greenland under US control, telling reporters in the Oval Office that “we need Greenland for national security.” Although he did not dismiss the possibility of using force, he suggested on Wednesday that negotiations with Denmark could lead to a resolution. He added, “The problem is there’s not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there’s everything we can do. You found that out last week with Venezuela.” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that Poland does not plan to participate in the European military deployment to Greenland, but cautioned that any US military action there “would be a political disaster.”