Germany has withdrawn a small military reconnaissance team from Greenland as President Donald Trump escalates pressure on Denmark, accusing the country’s leadership of failing to repel what he calls a growing Russian threat in the Arctic.
A German Bundeswehr team of 15 soldiers departed Greenland on Sunday for Copenhagen after completing a short reconnaissance mission tied to a planned Danish-led military exercise, a military spokesman said per DPA International. The deployment had begun Friday and was part of a broader European effort to assess logistics and security conditions on the Arctic island, which is a self-governing territory of Denmark and covered under NATO’s collective defense pact, German officials reportedly said.
The withdrawal came as Trump renewed public criticism of Denmark’s handling of Greenland’s security and reiterated his insistence that the United States must ultimately control the strategically located, mineral-rich territory. Writing on his social media platform Sunday, Trump said Denmark had failed to address what he described as an encroaching Russian presence.
“NATO has been telling Denmark, for 20 years, that ‘you have to get Russian threat away from Greenland,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Unfortunately, Denmark has been unable to do anything about it… Now it is time, and it will be done!!!”
German officials reportedly said the reconnaissance team’s departure was planned and that its mission had been completed. A spokesman for Germany’s military command and control center said the findings would be analyzed in the coming days.
Trump’s comments follow a sharp escalation in his long-running campaign to pressure Denmark into selling Greenland, something Danish and Greenlandic leaders have thus far rejected. Greenland’s prime minister previously stated, “Our country is not for sale.”
Yet, in early 2025, political parties that favored independence from Denmark surged, including some perceived as pro-American annexation, although they failed to claim the requisite votes to govern outright, The Dallas Express previously reported.
On Saturday, Trump announced plans to impose new tariffs on Denmark and seven other European countries unless Denmark agrees to what he described as the “complete and total purchase of Greenland.” The tariffs, set to take effect February 1, would start at 10% and rise to 25% by June 1 if no agreement is reached, according to Trump.
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded, “Europe won’t be blackmailed,” per The BBC.
The Dallas Express previously reported that President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on several European countries, conditioning relief on negotiations over Greenland.
Trump has dismissed those efforts, at one point mocking Greenland’s defenses as inadequate, while arguing that the United States alone can guarantee the island’s security against Russia and China. He has said Greenland’s location makes it vital for missile defense, space operations and Arctic shipping routes.
The brief German deployment was part of a wider European symbolic show of support for Denmark amid the dispute.
