<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>Spain could participate in a surveillance mission in Greenland after several European countries, including France, Germany, Sweden, and Norway, announced the deployment of troops to the Danish autonomous territory in response to invasion threats from US President Donald Trump, Defense Minister Margarita Robles stated on Thursday.</strong></h4> “We are going to be prudent when making decisions, and above all, it is important to respect the existing frameworks—frameworks of great prudence and discretion—to see what solutions are adopted,” the minister told reporters in the halls of Congress. “We are in constant agreement with our allies, the other member countries, and we will proceed well throughout the day,” she added. France has decided to send troops to Greenland to participate in joint military exercises with Denmark, after Germany, Sweden, and Norway announced the deployment of officers to the island to address security in the region and to prepare for Operation Arctic Endurance, whose objective, according to Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, is “to establish a permanent military presence” on the island. “At Denmark’s invitation, Germany will participate with other European nations in a reconnaissance mission in Greenland between January 15 and 17,” the German government announced. These announcements come after a meeting at the White House between US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio with Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt. The meeting concluded with the confirmation that US President Donald Trump is prepared to seize the island “for security reasons.” Denmark has warned that it will not accept any violation of Greenland’s territorial integrity or its people’s right to self-determination. “The US ambition to seize Greenland remains intact,” declared Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen after the meeting in Washington. “The countries that have sent personnel have not sent military missions; they have sent reconnaissance missions on the ground, which are not military missions,” Robles clarified to reporters. “We will see how everything develops, and the message is one of caution,” he emphasized. “What I do believe is that the European Union, from a political standpoint, must clearly state that the international legal order must be respected,” because “it’s not so much a military issue as it is a matter of respecting the international legal order,” she warned. Regarding whether a possible US invasion of Greenland could mean the end of NATO, Robles warned that it would be “unacceptable and extremely serious.” “But I don’t believe we are in that situation,” she added. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, also addressed this issue during his appearance before Congress. “In recent weeks, threats and tensions regarding Greenland have increased, and this constitutes a very dangerous escalation,” he warned. “Arctic security is a key priority for Europe and for international and transatlantic security, but Greenland belongs to its people, and Spain supports Denmark and the people of Greenland, as reflected in the joint statement by the presidents of Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Denmark,” he affirmed before the plenary session. “Spain will always demand, everywhere, respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of borders, which are universal principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations,” he added.
