The decision by European countries such as Germany, France, Sweden and Norway to join Denmark in sending their military personnel to Greenland, in parallel with the meeting of the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland with the vice president and the US secretary of state in Washington, is a central topic in the Western press.
"How far will Europe go to protect Greenland from Trump?", asks the British newspaper "The Guardian" in the title of the analysis by Catherine Butler. "The president's disregard for international law exposes the continent's dependence on the US. Leaders have stepped up their rhetoric in support of Denmark, but the cost of confrontation with it is high, the author writes.
"Donald Trump's threat to take control of Greenland "one way or another" has put the autonomous territory and its sovereign, Denmark, in a difficult position, and Europe is struggling to stop him. After the shock of the US military operation in Venezuela, Trump's ambition to put Greenland next on his list of "victims" is no longer seen in Europe as a boast or a fantasy, but as a serious intention driven by ideology, neo-imperial expansionism, US thirst for natural resources - or all of these things together", Butler continues.
Trump's undisguised disregard for international law once again exposes the painful dilemma caused by Europe's crippling dependence on the US for military security: will Europeans oppose him or appease him, even when his actions echo Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which they say is illegal, raises another question, the Guardian.
Shortly after the attack in Venezuela - met with deafening silence in Europe - Trump's adviser Stephen Miller said in an interview with CNN that "nobody is going to fight the United States" over Greenland, the Guardian writes. "Is Miller right?", asks Catherine Butler, pointing out that there has been a change in tone in recent days. The leaders of six European powers - France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland and the UK - issued an unusual joint statement, reaffirming their support for Danish sovereignty and effectively warning Trump not to interfere in Greenland, the British newspaper notes.
But what "fight" these European powers are prepared to wage for Greenland if diplomacy fails is unclear. Trump's justification for brandishing weapons at a staunch NATO ally like Denmark, supposedly to protect Greenland from alleged future aggression by Russia or China, is unfounded, analysts say. US security concerns can be resolved without annexing Greenland, the Guardian believes, noting that Greenland has been a semi-autonomous territory since 1979, but as part of Denmark it is protected by NATO.
Existing Cold War-era treaties between Denmark and the US for the joint defense of Greenland give Washington the freedom to deploy more troops on the world's largest island, the British publication notes, adding that the US could reopen 16 of its 17 military bases that have been closed.
The French newspaper "Monde" reported that France - the only nuclear power in the European Union - will send troops to Greenland for joint exercises with several European countries, emphasizing that this decision follows Denmark's announced increased military presence on the Arctic island. The move comes in the context of Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen's conclusion after the meeting in Washington - "it is clear that President Trump has a desire to conquer Greenland", the publication writes. Rasmussen and Greenland's Foreign Minister Viviane Motzfelt spoke with US Vice President JD Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House last night.
"Le Monde" also quoted the German Ministry of Defense, according to which the deployment of a 13-member Bundeswehr intelligence unit in the Greenlandic capital Nuuk was at the invitation of Denmark. Berlin said that the mission aims to "study the framework conditions for a possible military contribution to support Denmark in ensuring security in the region".
In turn, the German newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" draws attention to the fact that at a cabinet meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that he "takes Trump's threats very seriously". France plans to open a consulate in the capital of Greenland on February 6.
A transport plane will arrive in Nuuk today with 13 Bundeswehr soldiers, and Germany's participation in a reconnaissance mission "at the invitation of Denmark" is until Saturday, another German newspaper, "Welt", points out. In Germany, the Green Party welcomes the Bundeswehr mission in Greenland, the publication points out.
"This is a vivid symbolism", defense expert Sarah Nanney told the "Rheinische Post" newspaper, adding that the talks in Washington have not led to US President Donald Trump giving up his territorial claims over Greenland.
"It would therefore be important that this military gesture of solidarity with Denmark is complemented by concrete diplomatic threats to the White House. Only then can Trump be deterred from his madness," says Nanney. According to her, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz should make it clear that there will be consequences for the US if they continue to undermine NATO cohesion by questioning the territorial integrity of a member state like Denmark.
At the same time, "Welt" concludes that Trump, for whom Greenland is essential for the construction of the planned "Golden Dome" missile defense system, remains "firm" in his position.
The American newspaper "New York Times" highlights what Danish Foreign Minister Rasmussen said after last night's meeting at the White House, that Denmark, Greenland and the US have "fundamental differences" regarding the future of the territory in the North Atlantic. Hours before the meeting, Trump said the United States "needs Greenland," the publication notes.
The three governments will form a "working group," likely within weeks, to try to find a way forward that takes into account Trump's security concerns without violating the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark or the right of Greenlanders to self-determination, the "New York Times" specifies.
Trump and senior officials in his administration have presented various options for how Washington could take control of Greenland, the publication recalls. The head of state has not ruled out the possibility of a military takeover, but Secretary of State Rubio has said that the president plans to buy the island rather than invade it. However, buying Greenland could be doomed to failure - Denmark does not have the authority to sell Greenland, and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has repeatedly said that the territory is not for sale.
"Why Greenland matters to a warming world", explains the "New York Times" in another article. "The fate of the world's largest island is of enormous importance to billions of people on the planet, because with global warming, Greenland is losing ice, and that has consequences," the publication points out.
Most of Greenland's area, which occupies a total of about two million square kilometers, is covered in ice. This ice is melting rapidly because the world's polar regions are warming rapidly, with wide-ranging consequences for the stability of the Earth's climate, explains the American newspaper. As the Arctic warms, new trade routes are opening up, as well as access to natural resources, including those vital for clean energy technologies and climate change mitigation. At the same time, however, this accessibility also affects security, making it vulnerable, the New York edition notes.
"In short: climate change is making the Arctic a more accessible strategic target for world powers - a fact that President Trump has not missed", emphasizes "The New York Times". "His fixation on Greenland is an admission that climate change is real", summarizes John Conger, a former Pentagon official in the administration of President Barack Obama who is now a consultant at the "Center for Climate and Security" research institute.