France and other NATO countries send troops to Greenland for exercises after meeting with Vance

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The French troops will join those from Germany, Norway and other countries.

Danish military forces participate in an exercise with hundreds of troops from several European NATO members in the Arctic Ocean in Nuuk, Greenland, Sept. 15, 2025. Ebrahim Noroozi/AP, Files

France and other NATO countries said they are sending small contingents of troops to Greenland for military exercises a day after representatives from Denmark and Greenland said they had "fundamental disagreements" with the U.S., which is seeking to take over the autonomous Danish territory.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday that a group of French troops were on the ground in Greenland with more to come to take part in military exercises with Danish forces and those from other NATO countries.

"France must be available to assess the threat, adapt, and stand alongside a sovereign state to protect its territory," Macron said during a speech to the military.

Macron added that the French soldiers will be "reinforced" by land, sea and air assets "in the coming days."

He also took a jab at U.S. ambitions during a speech to French soldiers, telling them "a new form of colonialism is at work among some."

Macron said people now live in a world "where destabilizing forces have been awakened," and Europe now has "competitors it did not expect to see."

Later Thursday, the Dutch Ministry of Defence announced it was sending a naval officer to Greenland "to map out options for a joint exercise in the Arctic region. Based on the reconnaissance, the exercise will be further planned and organised," a spokesman said.

Danish military forces participate in an exercise with hundreds of troops from several European NATO members in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, Sept. 17, 2025. Ebrahim Noroozi/AP, Files

The Dutch and French troops will join those from Germany, Norway, and Sweden, which will all take part in joint military exercises.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Thursday that it would not participate in the exercises but said a U.S. intervention in Greenland would be a "disaster."

"I mean, a conflict or an attempt to take over the territory of a country that is a NATO member, by another NATO member state, and what's more, it's the United States, well, that would be the end of the world as we know it, which has guaranteed our security for decades," he said.

Denmark, which governs Greenland's international matters, announced Wednesday it was increasing its military presence around Greenland due to "security policy tensions have spread to the Arctic," following Trump's increased calls to acquire Greenland for the U.S.

Trump has argued that the country would benefit U.S. security and has not ruled out military force to accomplish his goal.

"If we don't go in, Russia's going to go in and China is going to go in," Trump told reporters Wednesday.

The Danish government agreed that there are legitimate security issues over increased Chinese and Russian activity in the wider Arctic region. However, Denmark says neither China nor Russia poses a direct threat to Greenland.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday met with leaders from Denmark and Greenland about Trump's comments.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told reporters afterward the discussion was "frank and constructive" but that "fundamental disagreements" remained.

"It's clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland," he said. Rasmussen called that outcome "totally unacceptable."

People protest under the slogan "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders" in front of the U.S. embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark, Jan. 14, 2026. Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix via AP

Rasmussen said a high-level working group has been created "to explore if we can find a common way forward." He said he expected the group will meet for the first time in a matter of weeks.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday said the meeting was "productive," "But the president has made his priority quite clear. He wants the United States to acquire Greenland. He thinks it's in our best national security to do that."

Responding to a question from Russia's Izvestia newspaper on Trump's rhetoric, the Russian embassy in Belgium said the situation was of "grave concern" and said "NATO has embarked on a course of accelerated militarization of the North, increasing its military presence there under the false pretext of a growing threat from Moscow and Beijing."

The situation has prompted outcry from Greenland citizens and European leaders who have argued that the U.S. is trying to remove Greenland's sovereignty.

Greenland's prime minister reiterated Thursday that it does not want to be owned by the U.S.

"We choose the Greenland we know today as part of the Kingdom of Denmark," Jens-Frederik Nielsen said. "There are statements that cannot be mistaken. Greenland wants cooperation, but on fundamental values such as democracy and respect. These are some of the cores of the Greenland we know today ... We stand together."

A man displays a sign as demonstrators take part in a protest under the slogan 'Greenland is for Greenlanders' in front of the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark, January 14, 2026. Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix via Reuters

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen argued Trump using the U.S. military to seize Greenland would mark "the end of NATO" because Denmark, a NATO ally, like the U.S., is obligated to come to the island's defense, as are other European NATO allies.

By Protests against Trump have taken place outside the U.S. Embassy in Greenland over the last couple of weeks.

-By : Will Gretsky and Zoe Magee contributed to this report.