Denmark’s foreign minister Rasmussen said on January 23 that Danish and U.S. diplomatic teams met in Washington on January 22 and will continue negotiations over Greenland, but that the immediate priority is to defuse tensions and prevent escalation. Rasmussen emphasized avoiding provocative rhetoric and sensational headlines, calling for what he described as a “calm process” rather than reactive exchanges that could fuel instability.
At the same time, Denmark’s defence command announced the launch of a multinational exercise dubbed "Arctic Endurance," to run on Greenland through the end of 2026. NATO members named as participants include France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, Iceland and Belgium, and several other allies have signalled interest in dispatching reconnaissance teams to the island.
Danish forces are also establishing temporary military zones across Greenland and have deployed troops to Nuuk airport, where video released by the military showed soldiers conducting live-fire exercises. Danish media reported that the troops were carrying significant quantities of ammunition and had been given instructions to be prepared to fight in a worst-case scenario—even, the reports say, in the unlikely event of an unexpected attack by the United States.
The juxtaposition of diplomatic outreach and rising military activity is striking. Greenland sits astride Arctic sea routes, hosts strategic installations such as Thule Air Base, and is increasingly central to NATO and great-power planning in the High North. Copenhagen’s effort to head off a public escalation reflects a recognition that miscommunication or political theatre could quickly widen a bilateral disagreement into a wider alliance problem.
How this plays out matters beyond Denmark and the United States. NATO allies are being drawn into operational planning in the Arctic, and their presence will be read as a signal by Moscow and Beijing about Western resolve in polar security. For Copenhagen, the calculus includes not only alliance management but also the sensitivities of Greenlandic autonomy and local politics, where any visible foreign footprint or Danish military posture can have outsized domestic consequences.