Dutch officers exit Greenland after NATO Arctic reconnaissance mission
Illustrative photo: Dutch military leaves Greenland (flickr.com)
Two officers of the Royal Netherlands Navy have completed their participation in a reconnaissance mission in Greenland as part of joint Arctic military exercises and left the island as planned, according to the Dutch Ministry of Defense.
The ministry said the reconnaissance mission was conducted under Danish leadership. Several NATO member states, including the Netherlands, took part in the operation to assess the feasibility of holding joint Arctic exercises known as Arctic Endurance.
During the mission, Dutch officers shared their operational and logistical expertise. Preparatory work for the next stages of the exercises is expected to continue in Denmark and the Netherlands in the near future.
The Dutch Ministry of Defense noted that the next step could be a larger-scale NATO operation. This issue is expected to be discussed at the Alliance level in the coming days.
It is worth noting that earlier, a group of 15 German servicemembers led by Rear Admiral Stefan Pauli unexpectedly left Greenland without explanation and flew out of the island’s capital, Nuuk.
What's known about Trump’s statements on Greenland
In late 2024, Donald Trump said that control over Greenland was an “absolute necessity” for US national security.
In early 2026, he repeated the claim, arguing that the island is supposedly “surrounded” by Russian and Chinese fleets and that Denmark is unable to provide adequate protection.
Trump later mocked Greenland’s defense, saying it consisted of “two dog sleds” attempting to counter Russian and Chinese destroyers and submarines.
On January 7, 2026, he did not rule out the use of military or economic pressure to establish control over Greenland and the Panama Canal and publicly called for the island to “join” the United States, calling such an outcome inevitable.
On January 17, Trump announced that starting February 1, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland would face a 10% tariff on all goods supplied to the US, with the rate rising to 25% from June 1.
According to Trump, the tariffs would remain in place until an agreement is reached on the “full and final purchase of Greenland.”
