President Donald Trump is exaggerating the threat to Greenland posed by Russia and China, Sweden’s defence minister has said as European troops arrived in the territory.
Military reinforcements from France, Germany, Norway and Sweden are to help boost Arctic security amid persistent threats of a full US takeover by Trump.
Part of the American leader’s justification for his ambitions is that “if we don’t, Russia or China will”, insisting that Nato should support his plans for its own security.
However, Sweden’s defence minister, Pal Jonson, dismissed the claims as an “exaggeration”.
“If you state that Greenland is flooded with Russian and Chinese vessels, that’s an exaggeration according to the assessments that we do for the region,” he told The Telegraph.
Mr Trump has said the region is “covered with Chinese and Russian ships all over the place”. But, while there has been an increase in China’s research vessels being stationed in the Arctic, Johnson said the scope of such placements was “limited”.
“I don’t think it should be exaggerated, it tends to be predominantly focusing on research vessels,” he explained.
Europe has been left scrambling for a response to Mr Trump’s plans – dubbed by some as the “end of Nato” if successful– with French president Emmanuel Macron to hold an emergency meeting with his defence cabinet in Paris on Thursday.
Denmark and Nato allies have increased their military presence in the region amid the uncertainty. Sweden confirmed a deployment of military officers to the Arctic – at the behest of Denmark – and others including the UK are expected to follow in the coming weeks.
“At Denmark’s request, I have decided that France will participate in the joint exercises organised by Denmark in Greenland,” Mr Macron confirmed in a post on X/Twitter on Thursday. “The first French military elements are already en route. Others will follow.”
Germany will deploy a reconnaissance team of 13 personnel, France will send 15 soldiers and the UK is expected to send one military officer.
It follows strained discussions at the White House on Tuesday that ended in a “fundamental disagreement” between Greenland and Denmark, and the US.
The meeting between Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenland’s foreign minister Vivian Motzfeldt was originally to be held with secretary of state Marco Rubio before vice-president JD Vance demanded to be included.
Denmark and the US have agreed to set up a working group to discuss ways to resolve the differences as Mr Trump continues to make statements that he needs the territory.
“The group, in our view, should focus on how to address the American security concerns, while at the same time respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark,” Mr Rasmussen told reporters on Wednesday. He said that a US acquisition of Greenland was “absolutely not necessary”.
But Mr Trump continued to issue barely veiled threats, making references to the toppling of the Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, in the immediate aftermath of the diplomatic talks.
“Greenland is very important for the national security, including of Denmark,” he said. “And the problem is there’s not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there’s everything we can do. You found that out last week with Venezuela.”
