Trump hellbent on 'acquiring' Greenland, White House says NATO troops don't faze him 'at all'
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump hellbent on 'acquiring' Greenland, White House says NATO troops don't faze him 'at all'")
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a news briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House on January 15, 2026 in Washington, DC. Photograph: (AFP)
Trump isn’t backing off Greenland. The White House says European troops on the Arctic island won’t change the POTUS's plan to “acquire” it for US security.
The White House on Thursday (Jan 15) doubled down on President Donald Trump’s long-running push to "acquire Greenland," making it clear that recent European military deployments to the Arctic island will not affect the POTUS's plans to take control of the Arctic Island from Denmark. Speaking at a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump "has made his priority quite clear". She reiterated that the president believes acquiring Greenland is essential for US national security.
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European troops don't faze Trump
Addressing the press briefing, Leavitt said that Trump "thinks it is in our best national security" to acquire Greenland. She dismissed the significance of European troops arriving on the island, and said, "I don't think troops in Europe impact the president's decision-making process, nor does it impact his goal of the acquisition of Greenland at all."
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Her remarks come as several European NATO members began deploying military personnel into Greenland, a step that has already triggered a sharp response from Russia. The deployments followed a high-level meeting in Washington involving US, Danish and Greenlandic officials, which failed to resolve what Denmark described as a "fundamental disagreement" over Greenland’s future.
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Which nations have sent their military to Greenland
France, Germany, Sweden and Norway have announced the deployment of military personnel to Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, as part of a reconnaissance mission. Germany’s defence ministry said the mission was aimed at assessing Arctic security needs in response to what it described as growing "Russian and Chinese threats". French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that French personnel were already en route.
In a statement, Greenland’s deputy prime minister, Mute Egede, noted that NATO forces would have a larger presence on the island in the coming days, including more military flights and naval activity. He stressed that the troops would be "training".
Russia slams NATO troop deployment
Russia reacted strongly. Its embassy in Belgium said the expanding NATO presence in Greenland was "of serious concern". It accused the alliance of using "false pretext" of threats from Moscow and Beijing to justify building up forces.
