Ministers have sought to play down reports that Britain could send troops to Greenland, saying proposals being discussed among NATO allies are routine planning rather than a signal of imminent deployment.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said on Sunday that any conversations about Greenland were part of “business as usual discussions amongst NATO allies about how we deter Putin in the Arctic Circle”, after media reports suggested the UK and partners were considering options to bolster the alliance’s presence in the High North.
Her remarks come amid heightened attention on Greenland’s security after US President Donald Trump revived calls suggesting the United States may need to take control of the Arctic territory, citing concerns about Russian and Chinese activity. Denmark and Greenland have rejected any change in sovereignty, while the UK has emphasised that decisions about Greenland’s future rest with Danish authorities and Greenlanders.
Alexander did not set out specific plans, timelines or troop numbers, and she did not confirm that the UK had agreed any deployment. Instead, she framed the issue as part of continuing NATO coordination focused on deterrence in an increasingly strategic region.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously said that questions about Greenland’s status should be decided by Denmark and Greenlanders, a position the government has reiterated as allies seek to avoid escalating tensions within NATO. Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and has a population of about 57,000.
The Arctic has grown in strategic importance as melting sea ice opens new shipping routes and access to natural resources, while Russia has expanded military capabilities in the region and China has signalled long-term interest in Arctic trade and minerals. NATO planners also view the area around Greenland as critical to North Atlantic security, including the Greenland-Iceland-UK gap, a longstanding focus for monitoring naval movement between the Arctic and the wider Atlantic.
According to Reuters, the UK government has described the talks as routine, linked to alliance planning on how best to deter Russian activity in the Arctic. UK officials have also pointed to broader concerns about the security of undersea infrastructure, including cables and pipelines, which has become a recurring issue for European governments since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The renewed focus on Greenland has been sharpened by Trump’s rhetoric in recent days. Trump has argued that Greenland’s location makes it important to US and Western security, and he has suggested Russia and China pose risks in the region. However, Nordic officials have disputed claims of hostile naval forces operating around Greenland, and the Financial Times reported that Danish and Nordic sources have dismissed suggestions of Russian or Chinese naval activity near the island.
In Denmark, the comments from Washington have triggered a sharp political response. Rasmus Jarlov, chair of the Danish parliament’s defence committee, was quoted by Sky News as describing US claims over Greenland as “a contender for the most illegitimate land claim in modern history”.
Greenlandic leaders have also stressed their opposition to external control. The Financial Times reported a joint statement from political leaders saying: “We don’t want to be Americans, we don’t want to be Danish, we want to be Greenlanders.”
The UK has long carried out cold-weather training with allies in northern Europe and has strengthened defence cooperation with countries including Norway, while NATO has increased attention on the High North as a theatre where Russian forces operate and where allied surveillance and maritime security are closely linked to the protection of sea lanes and transatlantic reinforcement routes.
Sunday’s comments from Alexander appeared intended to cool speculation that Britain was preparing an immediate military move while reassuring allies that NATO is actively assessing the region. The government has not announced any change to existing UK basing, deployments or exercises connected to Greenland.
Any decision to station forces in or around Greenland would carry political sensitivity, given Denmark’s responsibility for the territory’s defence and the risk that debates over sovereignty could strain alliance unity. For now, ministers are presenting discussions as standard NATO contingency planning rather than a shift in UK policy.
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