European allies, including Great Britain, are discussing the deployment of military forces in Greenland. This is to protect the Arctic from Russia and China and to convince Trump to abandon the annexation of the island.
European allies, including the British government, are negotiating the deployment of military forces in Greenland to guard the Arctic for US President Donald Trump, The Telegraph reports, writes UNN.
Details
Military leaders are developing plans for a possible NATO mission on the island, which the US president has threatened to seize for security reasons.
British officials have met in recent days with their counterparts from countries such as Germany and France to begin preparations.
The plans, which are still in their early stages, could include the deployment of British soldiers, warships, and aircraft to protect Greenland from Russia and China, the publication writes.
European countries hope that a significant increase in their presence in the Arctic will convince Trump to abandon his ambitions to annex the strategic island.
This would allow him to claim victory for American taxpayers, arguing that Europe is paying most of the cost of patrolling the Atlantic.
Trump has threatened to take control of Greenland by force. It is a self-governing island, but territorially it is part of Denmark, a NATO member.
He expressed fears that Moscow or Beijing would seize the island if he did not, insisting that "we will not have Russia or China as neighbors."
Greenland is also rich in natural resources, including copper, nickel, and rare earth minerals, which are essential for modern technologies.
Government sources said that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer took the threat from Russia and China in the area "extremely seriously" and agreed on the need to take action.
"We share President Trump's view – Russia's growing aggression in the High North must be deterred, and Euro-Atlantic security strengthened," one of The Telegraph's interlocutors said.
"Discussions within NATO on strengthening security in the region are ongoing, and we will never get ahead of them, but the UK is working with NATO allies to stimulate efforts to strengthen Arctic deterrence and defense," he pointed out.
"The UK will continue to work with allies – as we always have – on operations in our national interest, protecting people at home," the interlocutor noted.
Trump put forward the idea of actually buying the territory, offering each of its 30,000 citizens up to $100,000 to come under US control.
He also does not rule out the use of military force to seize the island, insisting that "we are going to do something in Greenland, whether they like it or not."
His desire to seize the territory plunged NATO into crisis and sparked speculation that the 75-year-old alliance could collapse.
European countries hope to pull Trump back from the brink by offering to deploy military forces on the island, the publication writes.
This idea, as indicated, was discussed at a meeting of NATO allies in Brussels on Thursday.
Alliance members instructed the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, NATO's military headquarters in Belgium, to determine what else could be done to ensure Arctic security.
Sources told The Telegraph that the potential operation is in the early stages of planning.
This could be a full-scale troop deployment or a combination of time-limited exercises, intelligence sharing, capability development, and redirection of defense spending.
Any operation is likely to be conducted under the NATO flag and will be separate from existing missions in the Baltic states and Poland.
British officials said the armed forces are already preparing for a greater role in Arctic security.
Preparations include the participation of special forces and Royal Navy ships in last year's Joint Viking exercises, joint NATO exercises in sub-zero temperatures in Norway.
This year, 1,500 British marines will also be deployed to Norway, Finland, and Sweden to participate in the Cold Response exercises – a training mission to protect frozen terrain.
The Telegraph also learned that the European Union is developing plans for sanctions against American companies if Trump rejects the proposal to deploy NATO troops.
Tech giants such as Meta, Google, Microsoft, and X could be banned from operating on the continent, as could American banks and financial firms.
A more extreme option could be the eviction of American troops from their bases in Europe, depriving them of a key staging ground for operations in the Middle East and elsewhere.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is due to meet with his Danish counterpart next week, and European officials hope he can have a deterrent effect on Trump.
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