A group of European countries, led by the United Kingdom and Germany, is discussing plans to strengthen its military presence in Greenland, seeking to demonstrate to US President Donald Trump that Europe takes Arctic security seriously, Bloomberg News reported.
NATO mission for the Arctic
According to the report, Germany is set to propose the creation of a joint NATO mission to protect the Arctic region. The discussions are said to involve several European allies and reflect growing concern over strategic stability in the far north.
Trump said on Friday that the United States must acquire Greenland to prevent Russia or China from seizing it in the future. The US president has repeatedly claimed that Russian and Chinese vessels are operating near Greenland, a claim denied by Nordic countries.
Germany urges NATO framework
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Monday that security concerns in the North Atlantic should be addressed within the NATO alliance.
“If the American president sees threats coming from Russian or Chinese ships or submarines here in the region, then of course we can find joint answers to this,” Wadephul said.
He made the remarks during a stop in Iceland on his way to Washington, where he is scheduled to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday.
Call for an Arctic NATO operation
Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken also called for NATO to launch an Arctic operation to address US security concerns. Speaking to Reuters, he urged transatlantic unity amid growing European unease over Trump’s renewed push to take control of Greenland.
“We must work together, act together and show strength and unity,” Francken said in a telephone interview, adding that there is a need for “a NATO operation in the far north”.
He pointed to NATO’s Baltic Sentry and Eastern Sentry missions, which combine forces from multiple countries using drones, sensors and other technologies to monitor land and sea, as potential models for an “Arctic Sentry”.
While acknowledging Greenland’s strategic importance, Francken stressed: “I think we should resolve this as friends and allies, as we always do.”
NATO leadership and Denmark’s position
A NATO spokesperson said on Friday that alliance chief Mark Rutte had spoken with Marco Rubio about the Arctic’s importance for collective security and how NATO is working to strengthen its capabilities in the far north.
The leaders of Denmark and Greenland have both stated that the Arctic island cannot be annexed and that international security does not justify such a move. The United States already maintains a military presence on Greenland under a 1951 agreement.
Source: APE–MPE / Bloomberg