Greenland standoff: White House says European troops 'won't impact' Trump

The White House connected Thursday said that the deployment of European troops to Greenland volition not impact President Donald Trump’s plans to instrumentality power of the Arctic land from Denmark. “I don't deliberation troops successful Europe interaction the president's decision-making process, nor does it interaction his extremity of the acquisition of Greenland astatine all,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a briefing erstwhile asked astir the European subject presence. Her comments came arsenic European Nato countries began deploying subject unit to the strategical Arctic territory, prompting a crisp effect from Russia. The determination follows a high-level gathering successful Washington betwixt US, Danish and Greenlandic officials that failed to span what Denmark described arsenic a “fundamental disagreement” implicit Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory Trump has repeatedly said the US needs to prehend for information reasons. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said connected Thursday that a “working group” would beryllium established to sermon strengthening Arctic security, but stressed that the inaugural would not resoluteness the underlying dispute. “The American ambition to instrumentality implicit Greenland remains intact,” Frederiksen said, calling the concern “a superior matter” and adding that Denmark would proceed efforts to forestall specified a scenario, according to AFP.

The remarks came arsenic France, Germany, Sweden and Norway announced the deployment of subject unit to Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, arsenic portion of a reconnaissance mission. Greenland’s lawman premier minister, Mute Egede, said Nato forces would person a greater beingness connected the land successful the coming days, with accrued subject flights and naval activity, adding that the troops would beryllium “training”, AFP reported. Germany’s defence ministry said the ngo was intended to analyse ways to guarantee Arctic information successful effect to “Russian and Chinese threats”.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the archetypal French subject unit were already en route. Russia reacted powerfully to the deployments, with its embassy successful Belgium saying the expanding NATO beingness successful Greenland was “of superior concern” and accusing the confederation of gathering up forces nether a “false pretext” of threats from Moscow and Beijing. Trump has argued that if the United States does not instrumentality power of Greenland, “China oregon Russia will”, remarks that person heightened tensions wrong Nato and raised concerns among Greenland’s residents astir becoming caught successful a broader geopolitical confrontation.