【By Observer Net, Qi Qian】

The US continues to issue threats of annexation, with Denmark and Greenland being "helpless and weak," prompting European countries to "step forward."

Recently, several European countries have made a high-profile announcement of sending troops to Greenland to demonstrate "solidarity." However, upon closer inspection, the current deployment sizes are not large: 2 each from Finland and Norway, 1 from the UK, 13 from Germany, 15 from France...

According to Reuters and the American political news website Politico, on January 15 local time, White House spokesperson Caroline Levet said that the US is aware of the European countries' troop deployment plans but "will not affect" the US's decision-making objectives regarding Greenland.

"I believe the European forces will not affect the President's decision-making process," Levet said when asked whether the European troop deployment would influence Trump's considerations. She also stated that it "would not affect his goal of acquiring Greenland."

White House Spokesperson Response to European Troop Deployment, Screenshot of Tweet

In recent days, the Trump administration's desire to annex Greenland has been openly displayed, escalating tensions between the US and its NATO allies.

Recently, Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen warned that people must "take seriously" Trump's threats against Greenland. If the US were to launch a military attack on another NATO country, the post-World War II order and NATO itself would come to an end. But Trump was indifferent. He stated that for the US, "ownership of Greenland is very important," and that NATO would be "nothing without the US."

On local time January 14, Danish Foreign Minister Rasmussen and Greenland's Autonomous Government Foreign Minister Møllerfelt urgently went to the US to meet Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Rubio. However, the talks did not bring positive signals. The Danish side stated that there still exist "fundamental differences" between the two sides.

Reuters reported that as the meeting between US, Danish, and Greenland officials failed to break the deadlock, several European countries have made a high-profile announcement of their military plans in Greenland, "sending a strong signal of support."

Countries have not yet announced the scale of their planned military deployments, but the initial scale seems small. It is reported that France has already sent 15 soldiers to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, to carry out tasks, while Germany's "reconnaissance mission team" consists of 13 soldiers. In addition, Sweden will send "several officers," Finland and Norway each send 2 people, the UK sends 1 person, and the Netherlands also sends 1 naval officer.

French President Macron said on January 15 that France will continue to deploy land, sea, and air forces to Greenland in the coming days. He said, "France and Europeans must continue to maintain their presence wherever interests are threatened, without escalating conflicts, but must remain uncompromising in respecting territorial sovereignty."

Danish Defense Minister Poulson told reporters on the same day that he had not yet obtained the final numbers. "But it is clear that we can now plan for a larger and more permanent presence throughout 2026, which is crucial for showing that Arctic security is not only about Denmark, but also concerns the entire NATO."

According to Reuters, Denmark has approximately 150 military personnel and civilian staff stationed in Greenland. Rasmussen previously said that there are currently about 200 US military personnel stationed in Greenland.

Mark Jacobsen, associate professor at the Royal Danish Defense University, said that the increased military deployment by Europe in Greenland sends two messages to the US government. "First, deterrence, indicating 'if you decide to take military action, we are prepared to defend Greenland'; second, a statement, that 'we take your criticism seriously, enhance our presence, and safeguard sovereignty.'"

Video screenshot of a Danish Air Force plane landing in Greenland on January 14

Since taking office in January last year, Trump has repeatedly claimed that "there are Chinese and Russian ships everywhere" around Greenland.

Denmark disputed this. Rasmussen previously responded that Trump's depiction of the situation was "not correct." He also said, "We do not agree that there are a lot of Chinese investments in Greenland," because the facts are not so.

Reuters also mentioned that ship tracking data from MarineTraffic and LSEG showed no Chinese or Russian vessels near Greenland.

According to a report by the Financial Times, several Nordic diplomats rejected Trump's claims about Chinese and Russian ships. They said that NATO has not found any signs of Russian or Chinese warships or submarines operating near Greenland in recent years, and Trump's statements "completely contradict the facts."

On January 11, Rasmus Jæger, Chairman of the Danish Parliament's Defense Committee, stated that he had all the relevant information. "I can assure you that your fantasy about China and Russia posing a great threat to Greenland is pure nonsense."

On January 12, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning held a regular press conference. Mao Ning reiterated that the Arctic involves the overall interests of the international community. China's activities in the Arctic aim to promote peace, stability, and sustainable development in the Arctic, in line with international law. The rights and freedoms of countries to conduct activities in the Arctic should be fully respected, and the US should not seek private interests and use other countries as an excuse.

This article is exclusive to Observer Net. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7595800890305413678/

Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.