Denmark sends more troops to Greenland amid tensions with Trump

Nordic state dispatches ‘substantial contribution’ of troops to the Arctic territory amid standoff with Washington.

Denmark has sent further troops to Greenland amid United States President Donald Trump’s threats to instrumentality power of the self-governing Danish territory.

The main of the Royal Danish Army, Peter Boysen, and a “substantial contribution” of soldiers landed successful Kangerlussuaq successful occidental Greenland connected Monday evening, nationalist broadcaster DR and different Danish media reported.

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Public broadcaster TV2 reported that 58 Danish troops landed successful the Arctic territory, joining astir 60 others dispatched earlier to enactment successful ongoing multinational subject exercises, dubbed Operation Arctic Endurance.

Denmark’s Ministry of Defence and the Danish Armed Forces did not instantly respond to requests for comment.

The deployment came hours aft Trump declined to regularisation retired utilizing subject unit to instrumentality power of the vast, mineral-rich Arctic territory, which the US president claims is captious to Washington’s security.

In an interrogation with NBC News connected Monday, Trump replied, “no comment”, successful effect to a question astir whether helium could prehend the land by force.

Trump’s remarks came aft helium told Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Storer successful a substance connection implicit the play that helium nary longer felt obliged to “think purely of Peace” aft not being awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize.

Denmark has expressed openness to a beefed-up US subject beingness successful Greenland, but has repeatedly said the territory is not for merchantability and that immoderate determination to instrumentality the land by unit would spell the extremity of NATO.

Trump’s insistence that Greenland indispensable beryllium brought nether US power has brought US-European relations to their lowest ebb successful decades and raised fears astir the imaginable disintegration of NATO, the transatlantic information confederation whose 32 members see some the US and Denmark.

Under Article 5 of NATO’s charter, the confederation considers an equipped onslaught against immoderate 1 subordinate arsenic an onslaught against all.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte connected Monday met with Danish Minister of Defence Troels Lund Poulsen and Greenland’s curate of overseas affairs, Vivian Motzfeldt, to sermon proposals for boosting Arctic security, including the constitution of a associated NATO ngo successful the Danish territory.

Rutte said successful a connection that the sides had discussed the value of the Arctic to “our corporate security” and Copenhagen’s increasing investments successful its defence capabilities.

“We’ll proceed to enactment unneurotic arsenic Allies connected these important issues,” Rutte said.

Poulsen stressed the request for unity pursuing the talks.

“Thank you to our allies for lasting up for Greenland and Denmark,” helium said.

EU’s ‘trade bazooka’

At the aforesaid clip that Trump’s moves are placing information ties nether strain, his menace to enforce tariffs connected Denmark and 7 different European countries until a woody is reached to bargain Greenland has raised the imaginable of a full-blown transatlantic commercialized war.

The European Union is acceptable to convene an exigency gathering connected Thursday to sermon its effect to the crisis, with retaliatory tariffs and the activation of the bloc’s anti-coercion mechanics among the options nether consideration.

Triggering the Anti-Coercion Instrument, besides known arsenic the “trade bazooka”, would let the bloc to enforce sweeping restrictions connected the concern and concern activities of US tech firms wrong the azygous market.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said connected Monday that she had stressed the “need to unequivocally respect the sovereignty” of Denmark and Greenland successful a gathering with US diplomats connected the sidelines of the Davos acme successful Switzerland.

“This is of utmost value to our transatlantic relationship,” von der Leyen said. “At the aforesaid time, the European Union remains acceptable to proceed moving intimately with the United States, NATO, and different allies, successful adjacent practice with Denmark, to beforehand our shared information interests.”

An sentiment poll, commissioned by Danish insubstantial Berlingske past year, suggested that 85 percent of Greenland’s residents did not privation to articulation the US, with conscionable 6 percent successful favour.