Khaberni - Danish Defense Minister Truels Lund Poulsen said his country will enhance its military presence in Greenland, ahead of a meeting at the White House today, Wednesday, between the U.S. Vice President and Danish and Greenlandic government officials. Meanwhile, France announced it will open a consulate next month in the Arctic island.
The Danish Defense Minister added in a statement to the French Press Agency that his country would strengthen its military presence in Greenland, and there would be a greater focus within NATO on the Arctic region, with an increase in the alliance’s activities and exercises there in 2026.
Minister Poulsen made his statement before a scheduled meeting this evening at the White House between U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Danish Foreign Ministers Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt, following weeks of threats by Trump to annex Greenland because of its strategic importance to U.S. national security, citing security threats from Russia and China.
Joint Statement
Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland's Foreign Minister said in a press conference yesterday in the Danish capital Copenhagen that Greenland is not for sale and cannot be annexed by the United States.
Greenland enjoys self-rule within Danish sovereignty and is the largest island in the world.
French Consulate
In related news, French Foreign Minister Jean Noel Baro said that Paris will open a consulate in Greenland on February 6th, a move that has been planned since last year.
The French minister added in radio statements that the United States should stop "blackmailing" Greenland. Baro said, "Attacking another NATO member would not be sensible and would contradict the interests of the United States… therefore, it is clear that this blackmail must stop."
The French Foreign Ministry reported that Greenland has chosen Denmark, NATO, and the European Union.
Amid European movements regarding Greenland, British Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper is visiting Finland today before heading to Norway tomorrow, Thursday. Both countries, Finland and Norway, overlook the Arctic Circle where Greenland is located.
Minister Cooper's visit to Finland aims to boost security in the region, and the British Foreign Office said Cooper would call on NATO to step up its work in the Arctic to protect its interests there.
Politico magazine quoted European diplomats and officials as saying that EU leaders tend to reconcile rather than confront Trump regarding Greenland, and the sources indicated that direct U.S. intervention in Greenland could end the post-World War II security regime.
