Macron announces joint military exercises with Denmark in Greenland

International Writing.- French President Emmanuel Macron announced this Thursday that the French Army will begin joint military exercises with Denmark in Greenland and assured that the first troops are already on their way to this Danish autonomous territory that Washington wants to annex.

“At the request of Denmark, I have decided that France will participate in joint exercises organized by Denmark in Greenland, Operation Arctic Endurance (‘Opération Endurance Arctique’). The first French military elements are already on their way. Others will follow,” Macron posted on his X account.

Previously, sources from the French Ministry of Defense had already announced that the country would join a European military mission in Greenland. Macron has convened a Defense Council for Thursday morning to study the situation on the island, but also what is happening in Iran, sources from the Élysée indicated.

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The French announcement is added to those made today by Germany, Sweden and Norway, which have indicated that they will send officials to Greenland to jointly study possible ways to cooperate to increase security in the region. «At the invitation of Denmark, Germany will participate with other European nations between January 15 and 17 in a reconnaissance activity in Greenland», the German Ministry informed.

A Meeting Without Agreement

This Wednesday, representatives from the United States, Denmark, and Greenland met in Washington without reaching an agreement on the future of the island, beyond the creation of a working group to address “fundamental discrepancies.” The Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, and the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, received the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, at the White House, but after a meeting of approximately 50 minutes, the Danish authorities confirmed that the positions remain opposed due to President Donald Trump’s willingness to annex the Arctic territory.

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The European country considers any proposal that does not respect the territorial integrity of Greenland – an autonomous territory of Denmark – and the right to self-determination of the Greenlandic people to be totally unacceptable.

Trump’s Statements

This Wednesday, before the meeting, Trump expressed on the Truth Social platform that with Greenland in the “hands” of the United States, NATO will be much more effective and added that any other option.

Hours before the diplomatic meeting, the Danish Ministry of Defense announced an immediate increase in its military presence in Greenland and maneuvers in this Danish autonomous territory, in collaboration with its NATO allies, due to the increase in tensions in the Arctic.

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In recent days, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had already indicated the need to reinforce the allied presence on the Arctic island, while several European countries, such as Germany and the United Kingdom, had pointed to the possibility of using this formula to appease Trump’s supposed concern for the security of Greenland in the face of Russia and China, an argument he uses to justify the need for annexation.