BERLIN, January 15. /TASS/. Germany’s Bundeswehr has sent an advance team of specialists to Greenland to assess the situation on the ground, the DPA news agency reported, citing sources.

An A400M military transport aircraft with servicemen flew to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. On Wednesday evening, the German Defense Ministry announced that it would send 13 troops to the island to study "the framework conditions for a potential military contribution to support Denmark in ensuring security in the region."

Earlier, the Bild newspaper reported that the first servicemen from European countries have arrived in Greenland amid statements by US President Donald Trump about the need to annex the island to the US. In addition to Germany and Denmark, the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden will participate in the mission to deploy troops on the island. The mission is being coordinated from Copenhagen, not through NATO, of which all these countries are members. Preparations for the deployment of troops, which have been underway for the past few days against the backdrop of Trump's statements, have been kept secret, Bild said. The newspaper noted that the first servicemen were sent to the island only after talks between Danish and Greenlandic representatives and the US failed on Wednesday.

On January 14, Trump stated that the United States remains committed to acquiring Greenland despite Denmark's objections.

Greenland is Denmark's autonomous territory. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen signed the Greenland Defense Agreement in addition to their NATO alliance commitments. Under the treaty, the US committed to defend the island from potential aggression.