Germany will send 13 soldiers to Greenland on Thursday as a part of a reconnaissance mission with other European nations, the German government and defense ministry said on Wednesday, following demands by President Donald Trump for Washington to have control of the island.
The mission, which comes on the request of Denmark, will happen from Thursday to Saturday, aiming to explore possible military contributions to bolster the safety of the region, a defense ministry statement said.
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This might, for instance, include maritime surveillance, it added.
Trump has repeatedly said in recent weeks that Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark that’s strategically situated and wealthy in minerals, is important to U.S. security, and that the USA must own it to stop Russia or China from occupying it.
He has said all options are on the table for securing the territory, rhetoric that has severely strained relations between Europe and the U.S.
Earlier Wednesday, Sweden and Norway announced that they might send military personnel to the island.