NATO starts planning Arctic mission amid Trump's claims to Greenland

NATO has begun military planning for the Arctic Sentinel mission amid tensions between the United States and European allies over Greenland. This was reported by the agency Reuters about a representative of the headquarters of the Alliance's military command.

Repeated statements by US President Donald Trump about the desire to acquire Greenland and accusations of European allies of failing to secure the Arctic island adequately from Russia or China provoked a dispute with Copenhagen over the Danish overseas territory and strained relations in NATO.

"Preparations are underway for a NATO mission called Arctic Sentinel," a spokesman for NATO's Headquarters for Military Operations in Europe (SHAPE) said on Tuesday.

Colonel Martin O'Donnell, a spokesman for the headquarters, confirmed this information. He declined to provide further details as the preparations have just begun.

After meeting with Trump in Davos in January, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that they discussed how NATO allies can work together to ensure security in the Arctic, including not only Greenland, but also the seven NATO countries that have territories in the Arctic.

It is unclear whether NATO defense ministers will discuss this issue at their February 12 meeting in Brussels.

According to Alliance rules, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, U.S. Gen Alexus Hrynkiewicz is authorized to plan and implement "vigilance measures" without the need for unanimous approval of its allies.

• Trump has stated that he wants to own Greenland in order to to protect the self-governing island from China and Russia. Beijing asked him not to use other countries to "pursue his own interests."
• On January 21, 2026, Trump changed his mind introduce additional duties on European states through Greenland. He said he had developed a framework with Rutte for a future agreement on Greenland and the entire Arctic.
• Axios wrote that the deal proposed by the NATO secretary general gives the United States the right to build military bases on the island and create "defense zones".