Macron Sends Troops to Greenland as Trump Ramps Up Pressure: ‘Already on Their Way’

AP Photo/Evan Vucci

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday night that he is sending troops to Greenland to participate in military exercises, as President Donald Trump’s threats against the Danish territory have intensified.

Trump has repeatedly said he wants the U.S. to take over the territory of 56,000 people for “national security” purposes.

The contingent of French soldiers will join troops from other NATO countries as part of Denmark’s Operation Arctic Endurance. Among the nations participating are Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

“At the request of Denmark, I have decided that France will participate in the joint exercises organized by Denmark in Greenland, Operation Arctic Endurance,” Macron posted on X, which translated the president’s message. “The first French military elements are already on their way. Others will follow.”

Macron announced the deployment just after midnight, Paris time.

Earlier in the day, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt met with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House. Rasmussen said the president’s position remains “totally unacceptable.”

“We agreed that it makes sense to try to sit down on a high level to explore whether there’s possibilities to accommodate the concerns of the president while we at the same time respect the red lines of the kingdom of Denmark,” Rasmussen explained after the meeting.

Rasmussen later appeared on Fox News, where he said he does not think the U.S. would take Greenland by force.

“I do not hope so because that would be the end of NATO,” he said.

On Friday, Trump said the U.S. will “do something on Greenland whether they like it or not.”