French President Emmanuel Macron announced Wednesday evening that Paris will deploy troops to Greenland in an apparent show of solidarity with Copenhagen as the Trump administration pushes for American control of the Arctic island.
Although Greenland is not actually a member of the European Union, EU leaders have rallied around the Kingdom of Denmark, which still exerts colonial control over the North American territory. Over the past week, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden have all said that they will be sending troops to Greenland.
Following a White House meeting on Wednesday of Greenlandic and Danish officials with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, France joined the cohort of NATO countries sending soldiers to Greenland for military exercises.
Writing on X, President Macron said: “At the request of Denmark, I have decided that France will participate in the joint exercises organised by Denmark in Greenland, Operation Arctic Endurance. The first French military elements have already arrived. Others will follow.”
In addition to supporting Denmark’s claim to Greenland, the move by European NATO nations to deploy troops to the island is also intended to demonstrate to Washington that Europe is capable of defending the island against threats such as Communist China and Vladimir Putin’s Russia.
President Trump has derided Denmark’s ability to protect Greenland, quipping this week that Copenhagen’s defensive force in the territory amounted to “two dog sleds”.
It remains to be seen whether the European deployment will do much to change Washington’s view of them as capable of providing security in the increasingly critical region of the world, with Germany just committing to send 13 troops. It is unclear how many French soldiers are being sent; however, Le Monde reports that the number is expected to be “relatively modest”.
Undeterred by the indignation emanating from Europe, President Trump on Wednesday doubled down on his position that the United States “needs” Greenland for national security purposes.
“It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building. NATO should be leading the way for us to get it,” he wrote on Truth Social, arguing that NATO would become “far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the United States. Anything less than that is unacceptable.”
The president further warned that if the U.S. does not take control of the island, then either Russia or China will, which he vowed not to allow.
While Greenlandic leaders have so far signalled that they wish to remain under Danish control rather than joining the United States, there has yet to be a formal financial offer made to the 57,000 citizens of the island.
Following the White House meeting on Wednesday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt said that a “high-level” working group has been established to resolve the issues among the three parties, given a “fundamental disagreement” over the future ownership of Greenland. Another meeting with U.S. officials is expected within weeks, they said.