World Insights: Would European military deployments defuse U.S. appetite for Greenland?

WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Amid America's repeated expression of its desire to annex Greenland, the world's largest island and a Danish territory, European countries are rushing to protect Greenland under NATO's concerted defense principle. However, would European's military deployments in Greenland deter Washington from acquiring Greenland?

MILITARY GAP

U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly demonstrated his interest in Greenland, from "buying" the island during his first presidential term, to the current employment of "a range of options" including "utilizing the U.S. military" to seize the autonomous island.

"We do need Greenland, absolutely," Trump told the media on Jan. 4.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt claimed on Jan. 6 that "President Trump has made it well known that acquiring Greenland is a national security priority of the United States, and it's vital to deter our adversaries in the Arctic region." White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said that nobody would fight the United States if it tried to seize Greenland.

On Friday, Trump said that he may impose tariffs on countries that do not support his plan for America to "obtain" Greenland. "I may put a tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security," he told a White House event, without giving more details.

The United States, the world's leading military power, maintains a military base on Greenland, in line with an agreement signed in 1951 with Denmark. Some 800 military personnel were reportedly guarding the base in 2025.

However, several European countries have confirmed their participation in a multinational reconnaissance mission to be conducted in Greenland, at the invitation of Denmark, European media reported.

European analysts believe that these troop deployments carry limited practical significance, serving mainly as symbolic gestures of support for Denmark and signals of concern over Arctic security.

Firstly, the European Union (EU) partners' deployments in Greenland are limited in scale, as Germany and France have dispatched 13 and 15 personnel, respectively, in addition to only one or two officers from other participating countries.

Moreover, they refrain from challenging Washington directly, as the German Ministry of Defense said the mission is to explore framework conditions for potential military support to Denmark in ensuring security in the region, such as maritime surveillance capabilities.

Besides engaging support from its European allies, Denmark itself has been referencing its pledged boost to Arctic defense spending, a cornerstone of its defense posture, said Rasmus Sinding Sondergaard, a senior researcher with the Foreign Policy and Diplomacy Department at the Danish Institute for International Studies.

However, Denmark's delivery of financial commitments is still in its early stages, the researcher said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Part of this investment package includes enhancing the Sirius Patrol, an elite Danish naval unit that conducts long-range reconnaissance in remote parts of Greenland using dog sleds. While symbolically important for Denmark's claim of operational presence, Sondergaard said, "It's something that Donald Trump has mocked, because seen from where he's sitting, a dog sled doesn't really make a difference."

Tim Haesebrouck, assistant professor of international politics at Ghent University, said European countries lack the capacity to engage in direct military confrontation with the United States, noting that at any stage of potential escalation, the balance of military power would favor Washington.

SCALES of JUSTICE

The Trump administration's repeated interest in gaining control of Greenland, plus its recent shocking military strikes against Venezuela in disregard of international law, recognized by the international community as the core mechanism for resolving international disputes, has aroused concern and condemnation both at home and abroad.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said earlier this month that the United States has no right to annex Greenland, urging Washington to stop making threats against a close ally and the Greenlandic people.

Leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and Britain joined their Danish counterpart to issue a joint statement on Jan. 6, saying that "it is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland."

The leaders underscored that Arctic security remains a key priority for Europe, and is critical for international and transatlantic security.

Europeans are fully capable of defending their territory against any threat, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in Riga on Thursday, stressing that Greenland is a European territory whose security is inseparable from that of Europe.

French Finance Minister Roland Lescure has warned U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that any move to seize Greenland would amount to a "crossed line" endangering Europe's economic relationship with Washington, the Financial Times reported on Friday.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday found only 17 percent of Americans support taking Greenland, while 47 percent oppose it.

A poll conducted by the global consultancy firm Verian in January 2025 indicated that a staggering 85 percent of Greenlanders explicitly oppose joining the United States, with only 6 percent expressing support.

"Annexing Greenland would be a strategic catastrophe" for the United States, warned Casey Michel, head of the Human Rights Foundation's Combating Kleptocracy Program.

"Any attempt by the United States to claim the island would quickly spiral out of control," Michel wrote on Foreign Policy. "What alliance could survive something like this? What ally would ever trust the U.S. not to do the same in the future?" ■