US President Trump has repeatedly registered interest in Greenland, who officially belongs to Denmark. Its government now wants to strengthen his military in the region with billion dollar investments.
Denmark wants to invest the equivalent of almost two billion euros in order to increase security in the strategically important Arctic region. The Danish government has agreed with a large majority of the parliamentary parties and in close cooperation with the governments of the Faroe Islands and Greenland, as the Ministry of Defense in Copenhagen announced.
“We have to face the fact that there are serious challenges for security and defense in the Arctic and the North Atlantic,” said Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen. Therefore, 14.6 billion crowns (around 1.95 billion euros) should be invested in the security of the region.
Denmark wants more ships and drones in the Arctic
The amount included the financing of three new ships of the Arctic Navy, two additional long -distance roar and satellites for better surveillance. After more than a decade of drastic cuts in defense expenditure, Denmark made 190 billion Danish crowns (the equivalent of around 25.5 billion euros) for his military over a period of ten years, some of which are intended for the Arctic.
Denmark is responsible for Greenland's security and defense, but has only limited military capacities on the island. Denmark currently has four outdated inspection ships, a Challenger surveillance aircraft and twelve dog sled patrols to monitor an area that is four times as large as France.
Second Defense agreement should come by summer
In addition, the Danes, Faroe Islands and Greenlanders agreed to negotiate a second agreement for deterrent and defense until summer. The security policy situation requires this, the ministry said.
With the partial agreement, one wants to improve surveillance and claim of sovereignty in the regions. At the same time, it is of crucial importance to support close allies and NATO in solving tasks in the Arctic and North Atlantic to strengthen defense and security. The Greenland foreign representative Vivian Motzfeldt spoke of a historical day when the agreement in Copenhagen was presented.
Denmark wants to demonstrate cohesion in Europe
The announcement of the partial agreement falls during a time when US President Donald Trump has repeatedly registered claims for control over Greenland. The island in the Arctic with around 57,000 inhabitants is of strategic importance for the United States, which maintains an air force base with an early warning system for ballistic rockets. Greenland's capital Nuuk is closer to New York than on Copenhagen. Greenland also has land treasures under the ice.
The largest island on earth is largely autonomous, but is officially part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Its Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is currently in the process of demonstrating European cohesion against the background of Trump's desires. To do this, she travels to Berlin, Paris and Brussels on Tuesday to meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte.
Julia Wäschenbach, ARD Stockholm, Tagesschau, 28.01.2025 2:40 p.m.