This is an interesting time for European nations to conduct drills in Greenland. Just a day after diplomats from Greenland and Denmark visited the White House to discuss the future of Greenland with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, NATO nations began conducting military drills in Greenland. France and Germany, along with other NATO members, arrived in Greenland on Thursday to begin a series of military exercises in the region. The BBC reported more on France’s move to do military drills in Greenland: A small French military contingent has arrived in Greenland’s capital Nuuk, officials say, as several European states deploy small numbers in a so-called reconnaissance mission. The limited deployment, which also involves Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and the UK, comes as US President Donald Trump continues to press his claim to the Arctic island, which is a semi-autonomous part of Denmark. French President Emmanuel Macron said the initial contingent would be reinforced soon with “land, air, and sea assets”. Senior diplomat Olivier Poivre d’Arvor saw the mission as sending a strong political signal: “This is a first exercise… we’ll show the US that Nato is present.” Poivre d’Arvor said the initial French deployment involved 15 people, hours after Denmark and Greenland’s foreign ministers travelled to Washington for a meeting with US Vice-President JD Vance on Wednesday. Following the meeting, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said while the talks were constructive, there remained a “fundamental disagreement” between the two sides and later criticised Trump’s bid to buy Greenland. Trump, meanwhile, doubled down on his bid to bring Greenland under US control, telling reporters in the Oval Office, “we need Greenland for national security”. Although he did not rule out the use of force, he said late on Wednesday that he thought something could be worked out with Denmark. “The problem is there’s not a thing that Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland, but there’s everything we can do. You found that out last week with Venezuela.” Here’s French President Emmanuel Macron explaining his motive for sending the troops: French President Emmanuel Macron announced the arrival of French troops in Greenland Thursday as forces from several European countries continue to arrive on island in a show of support for Denmark (translation via AP) https://t.co/2Z9EEtFRsD pic.twitter.com/14xlamjI0A — Bloomberg (@business) January 15, 2026 CNN reported President Trump has made it clear that he has his eyes on the U.S. obtaining control of Greenland: President Donald Trump said Wednesday that “anything less” than US control of Greenland is “unacceptable,” arguing the United States needs the territory for national security purposes, which could in turn strengthen NATO. “NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES,” Trump wrote in an early morning Truth Social post. “Anything less than that is unacceptable.” The post came ahead of a meeting Vice President JD Vance hosted at the White House Wednesday with the Danish foreign minister and his Greenlandic counterpart alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio. That meeting yielded few tangible results, with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen noting that he and his Greenlandic colleague had “a frank but also constructive discussion” with Rubio and Vance, but their “perspectives continue to differ.” Still, Rasmussen said the parties have agreed to form “a high-level working group to explore if we can find a common way forward” that is expected to meet in the coming weeks.