MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. The military ambitions of European NATO member states in Greenland are poised to deepen tensions with the United States and could provoke a strongly negative response in Washington, according to Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), who was speaking to TASS.

"We are witnessing a clear fracture in Euro-Atlantic solidarity. However, these tentative and clumsy efforts to establish a European military presence in Greenland are unlikely to succeed. Instead, they will only heighten tensions and elicit a stern, perhaps even harsh, reaction from both the US Department of State and President Donald Trump," Stepanov stated. He further warned that deploying European troops to Greenland would likely prompt the Pentagon to bolster its military foothold in the region.

"Similar developments are likely to unfold in Africa and other areas where European leaders have historically been active. These actions are primarily driven by corporate interests, aimed at expanding resource exploitation and asserting control over strategic geographic zones," Stepanov explained.

On January 11, Bloomberg reported that a coalition of European countries, led by Germany and Britain, is contemplating the deployment of additional troops to Greenland. The European nations hope that increased military presence will send a message to President Trump and his administration that Europe is serious about safeguarding the island and the Arctic region as a whole.

 

Greenland situation

 

President Trump has repeatedly voiced interest in acquiring Greenland. During his first term, he even proposed purchasing the island, and in March 2025, he expressed confidence that annexation was feasible. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller questioned Denmark's sovereignty over Greenland, fueling speculation about potential US ambitions.

Greenland remains an autonomous territory of Denmark. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen, alongside their NATO commitments, signed a defense treaty under which the United States committed to defending the island against potential threats.