Germany to pitch Arctic NATO mission to ease Greenland rift

(Bloomberg) — Germany will propose setting up a joint NATO mission to monitor and protect security interests in the Arctic region in a bid to ease tensions with the US over its threats to annex Greenland, according to two people familiar with the government’s thinking.

NATO’s “Baltic Sentry” mission — kicked off a year ago to shield critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea — could serve as blueprint for a new “Arctic Sentry” mission, which would include Greenland, said the people, who declined to be identified discussing confidential plans.

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While US President Donald Trump has long mused about making Greenland a part of the US for national security reasons, his focus on the self-governing island that’s part of the Kingdom of Denmark has intensified in recent days following the audacious US raid to capture the leader of Venezuela.

That action has sparked new fears among allies over Trump’s willingness to deploy the military to achieve his foreign policy goals. His fiery rhetoric over Greenland has spurred a flurry of diplomatic activity as officials try to ascertain his intentions.

On Sunday, Germany’s vice chancellor — who’s flying to Washington this week for a meeting of finance ministers convened by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — called on the US to respect Greenland’s sovereignty and international law. Group of Seven ministers will be in attendance as well as officials from Australia, South Korea, India, Mexico and the European Union.

“It is solely a matter for Denmark and Greenland to decide on the future of Greenland,” said Lars Klingbeil, who also is Germany’s finance chief. “Territorial sovereignty and integrity must be respected. These principles of international law apply to everyone — including the United States. We are working together as NATO allies to increase security in the Arctic, not against each other.”

Klingbeil isn’t the only top German official visiting the US capital this week. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is also set to meet his American counterpart Marco Rubio there after a visit to Iceland.

“Where there are different views, we want to work on these differences in dialog in order to do justice to our shared responsibility for peace and security,” Wadephul said in a statement before his departure. The North Atlantic is “strategically important for our common security,” he said, adding that he plans to discuss how best to “bear this responsibility in NATO — in view of old and new rivalries in the region by Russia and China – together.”

“The legitimate interests of all NATO allies, but also those of the inhabitants of the region, must be at the heart of our considerations,” Wadephul said. “Of course, this also applies to Greenland and its people.”

The UK is in talks with allies over whether to send troops to Greenland as part of a possible NATO mission, according to a report in the Sunday Telegraph. When asked about the report on Sky News, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said they were part of normal discussions with allies to defend Greenland against any Russian threat.

NATO sea forces are “practicing together in the harsh conditions of the far north to keep this strategically important region safe,” the alliance said in a post on X on Sunday.

—With assistance from Kamil Kowalcze, Shiyin Chen and Valentine Baldassari.

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