What would Denmark’s plan to prevent the US from invading Greenland look like, according to local public media

Danish military aircraft were sent to Greenland in January for Danish-led joint military exercises called Operation Arctic Endurance. Reuters via BBC Danish soldiers sent to Greenland in January were prepared to blow up runways at strategic airports amid fears that US President Donald Trump would invade the Arctic island, Danish public broadcaster DR reported. ✅ Follow the g1 international news channel on WhatsApp LIVE: Follow the latest news from the war Citing sources from the government and the Danish Armed Forces, as well as European allies, the DR states that stocks of blood were also taken to treat the wounded in the event of combat. The British newspaper “Financial Times” reported that two European officials later confirmed the information in the DR report. Denmark’s Ministry of Defense told the BBC it had “no comment”. A senior Danish military officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the BBC that “only a limited number of people would have been aware of the operation for security reasons.” The USA and Denmark are members of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), and the issue of Greenland — a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark — has generated tension between the USA and its European allies. SANDRA COHEN: Denmark sent explosives to Greenland to destroy airstrips in the event of a US invasion Trump has repeatedly said that he intends to annex Greenland during his second presidential term, which began in 2025. The island’s government (the largest in the world by territorial extension) and Denmark have repeatedly rejected this possibility. Broadcaster DR stated that it based its report on 12 sources among the main authorities of the Danish government and armed forces, as well as sources among the country’s allies in France and Germany. According to the broadcaster, these sources said that Denmark asked for political support from France, Germany and also Nordic countries to deal with Trump, through demonstrations of European unity and carrying out more joint military activities in Greenland. Trump posts AI montage in which he plants the US flag in Greenland But, according to these sources, the situation worsened on 3/1, when elite US forces captured the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, in a lightning operation in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. The next day, Trump told reporters that he would “worry about Greenland in about two months” and repeated that “we need Greenland as a matter of national security. It’s very strategic.” Without providing evidence, he added: “Right now, Greenland is surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships on all sides.” A high-ranking Danish security source told DR that “when Trump keeps saying he wants to take control of Greenland, and then what happened in Venezuela happens, we had to take every scenario seriously.” Shortly after Maduro’s capture, a small military contingent made up of soldiers from Denmark, France, Germany, Norway and Sweden was sent to Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, and Kangerlussuaq, where there is an airport. At the time, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the initial contingent would be reinforced with “land, air and naval means”. Danish soldiers armed in Nuuk, Greenland, on January 18, 2026. Reuters via BBC According to DR, a second deployment included elite Danish soldiers and a French contingent trained for operations in cold, mountainous regions. Danish aircraft and a French Navy ship were deployed to the North Atlantic. The deployment was presented as part of joint military exercises led by Denmark called “Operation Arctic Endurance”, but the real reason was to prepare for a possible US invasion, the broadcaster reported. Denmark decided that its soldiers would fight in the event of an American invasion, and were also prepared to destroy airstrips in Nuuk and Kangerlussuaq to prevent US military aircraft from landing, according to the report. “The cost to the US would have to increase. The US would have to carry out a hostile act to take Greenland,” a Danish defense source told the broadcaster, adding that it would still be unlikely that troops would be able to repel an American attack. On January 21, Trump, who had previously not ruled out the use of force to take control of Greenland, said at the World Economic Forum in Davos: “I don’t want to use force. I’m not going to use force. All the US is asking for is a place called Greenland”, in a statement that contrasted with the idea he expressed in the past, when he said he would achieve his goal “one way or another”. Trump has since said he seeks “immediate negotiations” to find a deal and further reduce tensions. Very little is still known about possible agreements between the US and Denmark, but according to information released by The New York Times, one of the ideas under discussion includes Denmark ceding sovereignty over small areas of Greenland, where the United States would build military bases. To defend the seizure of Greenland, Trump mentioned the threat of Russian and Chinese ships around the island. But Denmark claims that “today” this threat does not exist. NATO allies tried to reassure the US that they would increase security in the Arctic. And NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says the agreement being discussed will also require this contribution. According to experts, however, the interest that the organization and its members have shown in the agreement and the topic strengthens the idea that the Arctic is increasingly important for its members. See the videos that are trending on g1

Source link