German troops quietly packed up and left Greenland on Sunday, just two days after landing for a highly publicized NATO exercise meant to signal support for Denmark amid President Trump’s renewed talk of taking control of the massive Arctic island.
The sudden exit drew puzzled looks in Nuuk, where residents watched uniformed German soldiers board a commercial Icelandair flight instead of a military aircraft. Once inside, roughly half of the small contingent settled into business class seats.
The deployment was part of “Operation Arctic Endurance,” a Danish-led show of force announced after Trump questioned Copenhagen’s sovereignty over Greenland and warned the United States could seize the territory if it deemed it necessary.
German officials insisted the mission had not ended early and said additional international military coordination would follow.
Berlin’s blink-and-you-missed-it presence highlighted Europe’s delicate balancing act as NATO allies spar over Greenland, a strategically prized island that straddles key Arctic shipping lanes, sits atop vast natural resources and rare earth minerals, and already hosts major US military infrastructure.
Denmark moved quickly to tamp down tensions, releasing a joint statement Saturday signed by leaders of Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
“As members of NATO, we are committed to strengthening Arctic security as a shared transatlantic interest,” the statement said. “The pre-coordinated Danish exercise ‘Arctic Endurance’ conducted with Allies responds to this necessity. It poses no threat to anyone.”
The eight nations also reaffirmed support for Danish control of Greenland, home to about 56,000 people, most of them Inuit.
“We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland,” the statement said. “Building on the process begun last week, we stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind.”
The message was clearly aimed at Donald Trump, who has ramped up pressure on Denmark in recent weeks and floated new tariff threats as part of a broader push to assert US influence in the Arctic.
“Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” the statement warned. “We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our response. We are committed to upholding our sovereignty.”
Despite the tough talk, the image of German troops leaving almost as soon as they arrived, and doing so on a civilian flight, underscored Europe’s reluctance to turn symbolic gestures into a sustained military footprint in Greenland as tensions with Washington simmer.
On Saturday, several hundred Greenlanders staged an anti-American protest, marching toward the local US Consulate with signs reading, “Yankee Go Home,” “F— Trump, F— Vance, F— USA” and “We are not for sale.”
COLD SHOULDER: Thousands rally in Greenland’s capital city, chanting “Greenland is not for sale,” after President Trump doubles down on the U.S.’ initiative to acquire the country.
The protest is reportedly the biggest demonstration in the nation’s history. pic.twitter.com/e3Vf22E2Kj
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 20, 2026
Protester Ivik Daorana said he did not understand the US argument for annexing Greenland on security grounds, noting that Washington already operates a Space Force base on the island’s northwest coast and has an open invitation from Denmark to expand its presence.
“I think it’s nonsense, because the Danish own Greenland and said you can open more military bases here in Greenland if you’re concerned about the national security,” Daorana said. “But we don’t want to be part of the United States.”
“It does not make sense at all, because China and Russia, they don’t want to do with Greenland and then Trump, he keeps talking about Russia and China,” he added.
European Council President Antonio Costa on Sunday called for an “extraordinary meeting” in the “coming days” to address the Greenland situation.
In a post on X, the former Portuguese prime minister said EU member states agreed to stand united behind Denmark and Greenland, respect territorial sovereignty, oppose tariffs that could “undermine” EU-US ties, and remain ready to defend against “coercion” while continuing to engage “constructively” with the United States “on all issues of common interest.”
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