French President Emmanuel Macron said on the 15th that the first group of French soldiers has arrived in Greenland, and in the coming days, more French soldiers will be sent to Greenland by land, sea, and air.
Macron stated that Europe has a 'special responsibility' toward Greenland. He also confirmed that the initial French soldiers have already reached Greenland to participate in the 'Arctic Endurance' military exercises initiated by Denmark in Greenland.
Macron made this announcement while addressing the French military with a New Year's speech at the Istres Air Base in southern France. He focused particularly on the situation in Greenland, emphasizing that Europe has a 'special responsibility' for Greenland. He said that France will continue to deploy more soldiers to Greenland in the coming days.
Macron noted that the international environment is undergoing profound changes and that 'certainty' is being broken. He said that France and Europe need to maintain their presence anywhere their interests are threatened, to prevent conflicts from escalating, while remaining uncompromising on the issue of territorial sovereignty.
The United States currently has a military base in Greenland. Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump has repeated his insistence that America needs to acquire Greenland, a notion strongly opposed by Denmark and other European nations.