By Anthony Marcus for Eurasia Business News, January 15, 2025. Article n°1989
Paris and Berlin have decided, in coordination with several NATO allied countries, to deploy mountain troops as part of an “inter-allied exercise”, while a meeting in Washington on Wednesday recorded a fundamental disagreement between Denmark and the United States over the future of the autonomous territory of Greenland.
The move is intended mainly as a political and deterrent signal over the island’s future, not as preparation for open conflict, amid Trump’s statements about acquisition of Greenland.
U.S. President Donald Trump said his country “absolutely needs Greenland,” which he said is surrounded by “Russian and Chinese ships.” The U.S. president said this in an interview with The Atlantic on January 4.
What Europe has done
France, Germany, Sweden, Norway and other European states have deployed a few dozen soldiers in total, including French mountain infantry and a 13‑person German reconnaissance team, mainly around Nuuk.
The deployments are framed as joint training and “recognition‑of‑territory” or Arctic exercises (often described under the banner of Operation Arctic Endurance) carried out in coordination with Denmark and Greenland.
Denmark, Greenland, and NATO
Denmark, which is responsible for Greenland’s defense, has announced an expanded military presence “in close cooperation with allies” to strengthen Arctic security and show that Greenland’s defense is a shared NATO concern.
Danish and Greenlandic officials have publicly rejected the idea of a U.S. takeover, calling such a scenario nearly unthinkable within NATO and warning it would severely damage the alliance.
U.S. position and confrontation risk
Despite sharp rhetoric and visible European deployments, the forces on the ground are small, U.S. troops remain present at Pituffik Space Base, and all sides are still managing the dispute through political and diplomatic channels, so the immediate risk of armed confrontation remains low.
President Donald Trump has renewed calls for U.S. control of Greenland and warned he is unwilling to accept anything less, which has produced a “fundamental disagreement” between Washington and Copenhagen over the island’s future.
Donald Trump added that he considers it necessary for the United States to control the Western Hemisphere, and referred to his version of the Monroe Doctrine proclaimed in 1823 – the “Donroe Doctrine”, writes The Atlantic.
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This is not the first time Donald Trump has spoken about the need for US control over Greenland. At the end of December 2025, he told the BBC that the United States “needs” Greenland for “national defense.” Then the president also noted “Chinese and Russian ships” as “a potential threat in nearby seas,” the BBC reported.
In January 2025 president Trump had already emphasized the strategic significance of Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark. He previously attempted to purchase the island in 2019 and has reiterated that U.S. control is essential for national security, particularly as global powers vie for influence in the Arctic region.
However, it is unlikely that the Europeans will be able to resist the United States’ desire to acquire Greenland, given the context of open rivalry with Russia and China. Greenland lies directly in the path of potential Russian missiles targeting the United States in the event of open conflict. Washington therefore wants to install military defense infrastructure there, particularly anti-missile batteries. Finally, Greenland borders the “Northwest Passage” shipping route, control of which is strategically important for international trade and energy transport between Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
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© Copyright 2025 – Eurasia Business News. Article no. 1989
Eurasia Business News 