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Merz expects US to help NATO ensure Greenland's security

The German chancellor shared Washington’s concern that there is a need to improve the defense of this part of Denmark

BERLIN, January 12. /TASS/. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expects the United States to participate in a possible joint operation of NATO countries to strengthen Greenland's security, according to DPA agency.

"We share the United States’ concern that there is a need to improve the defense of this part of Denmark. We want to work together to improve the security situation for Greenland. I assume that the Americans will also take part in this," Merz said during a visit to India.

The operation may be tagged Arctic Sentry in line with NATO missions in other regions, for instance, in the Baltic Sea. European countries expect that the mission will keep US President Donald Trump from laying claim to Greenland amid Denmark's insufficient defensive potential on the island.

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that several European countries, led by Britain and Germany, are considering sending additional troops to Greenland. Germany’s plan is to send a joint NATO mission to the island to protect the Arctic. On Monday, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Madrid was ready to consider using NATO resources to protect Greenland's security if there was any threat in the region.

Trump has repeatedly stated that he wants to annex Greenland. Even during his first term, he offered to buy Greenland, and in March 2025 he expressed confidence that it could be annexed. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller had previously questioned Denmark's right to control the island and said it should become part of the United States.

Greenland is part of Denmark as an autonomous territory. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen, in addition to allied commitments to NATO, signed the Greenland Defense Treaty. Under it, the United States has committed itself to defending the island from possible aggression.

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