A Few Dozen European Troops in Greenland Triggered Trump

President Trump threatened tariffs on European nations that sent military personnel to Greenland last week. Some have already gone home, but Denmark is now sending about 100 more.Danish soldiers disembark at the port in Nuuk, Greenland, on Monday.Credit...Mads Claus Rasmussen/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesJan. 20, 2026, 1:07 p.m. ETEuropean nations sent a small group of military personnel to Greenland last week to show solidarity with the island, an autonomous territory of Denmark, and to demonstrate a willingness to increase security in the Arctic.In total, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland and Britain dispatched a few dozen people. Denmark also increased its own military presence in Greenland.That move landed badly in Washington.“Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland have journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown,” President Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday, before announcing 10 percent tariffs on those nations, kicking in next month and increasing to 25 percent in June.Many European leaders have since rushed to explain that they did not intend to defy the United States by sending troops, and that they were simply demonstrating their ability to police the Arctic. Britain has said that it sent one officer, and in only an “observational capacity.” German troops have already gone home, local media reported.Denmark has taken a different tack: It very publicly sent more troops this week.The Danish military posted images of its forces arriving in Greenland on Monday to take part in a NATO training exercise called Operation Arctic Endurance, led by Denmark.The nation, which has said it has a “fundamental disagreement” with the United States over Greenland and has insisted it will not sell or surrender the territory, sent a contingent of about 100 soldiers to western Greenland on Monday, along with its army chief, Peter Boysen, according to the country’s public broadcaster.The exercise was continuing to “develop,” the Danish military said Tuesday in a news release, following what it described as “initial planning visits” last week.Some of the added Danish soldiers appeared to be from a battalion that specializes in defensive measures like building fortifications and obstacles, according to the Danish broadcaster.Denmark’s armed forces also said on Tuesday that its military could for the first time “operate across all of Greenland, including high-alpine terrain,” which is among the world’s harshest environments.Lynsey Chutel contributed reporting.Jeanna Smialek is the Brussels bureau chief for The Times.Amelia Nierenberg is a Times reporter covering international news from London.SKIP Site IndexNewsHome PageU.S.WorldPoliticsNew YorkEducationSportsBusinessTechScienceWeatherThe Great ReadObituariesHeadwayVisual InvestigationsThe MagazineArtsBook ReviewBest Sellers Book ListDanceMoviesMusicPop CultureTelevisionTheaterVisual ArtsLifestyleHealthWellFoodRestaurant ReviewsLoveTravelStyleFashionReal EstateT MagazineOpinionToday's OpinionColumnistsEditorialsGuest EssaysOp-DocsLettersSunday OpinionOpinion VideoOpinion AudioMoreAudioGamesCookingWirecutterThe AthleticJobsVideoGraphicsTrendingLive EventsCorrectionsReader CenterTimesMachineThe Learning NetworkSchool of The NYTinEducationAccountSubscribeManage My AccountHome DeliveryGift SubscriptionsGroup SubscriptionsGift ArticlesEmail NewslettersNYT LicensingReplica EditionTimes Store