European countries have united after US President Donald Trump’s threats to occupy Greenland. Several NATO member states have launched a joint military exercise named Operation Arctic Endurance. For this, among European countries, France has sent 15 soldiers to Greenland, who are from the 27th Mountain Infantry Brigade. Germany has sent a team of 13 soldiers. Norway, Netherlands and Finland have deployed two soldiers each. Britain has sent a military officer. Sweden has also confirmed sending troops, although the number has not been made public. In total, about 35-40 military personnel from European countries have arrived in addition to the existing Danish troops. At the same time, Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto has described this entire operation as a joke. There is a possibility of large-scale deployment of troops in Greenland. Denmark has already deployed about 200 soldiers in Greenland. Apart from this, a 14-member Serious Dog Sled Patrol is also present there, which patrols the Arctic areas. French President Emmanuel Macron has said that in the coming days they will be further strengthened through land, air and sea. This number is small, but it is meant to send a political message that NATO is united. Operation Arctic Endurance is a military exercise led by Denmark. Its purpose is to see what the preparations will be like if a large number of troops have to be deployed in Greenland in the future. According to the Danish Defense Ministry, the focus of this exercise is to increase coordination and working capacity between allied countries in the Arctic region. There are plans to launch an even bigger mission in the future, which is being called Operation Arctic Sentry. This will be a NATO mission. Its purpose is to increase surveillance in Greenland and its surrounding areas and to strengthen the power to respond militarily to any threat. However, this mission will not start immediately. According to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, Operation Arctic Sentry may take several months to start. That is, at present no major new military mission has started in Greenland, but work on its preparation and planning is going on. Poland, Italy stayed away from the mission. Some countries with big military powers of NATO stayed away from this mission. Poland, Italy and Turkey refused to send troops to Greenland. Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk clearly said that his country will not send troops. Actually, Poland’s biggest concern is its eastern border with Russia. Poland wants to concentrate its military strength there. There is no collective NATO directive regarding military deployment in Greenland. Every country is taking decisions according to its security priorities and resources. While the European countries are preparing to impose retaliatory tariffs on America, on the other hand the European Union is preparing to respond to the tariffs imposed by Trump. The EU is seriously considering imposing trade sanctions on America. For this, the EU is thinking of using a special legal weapon, which is informally called ‘trade bazooka’. Its purpose is to take strict action against those countries which try to exert economic pressure on European countries. If the EU uses this weapon, it will demand to hold 0% tariff on American products in the EU. European Union (EU) MPs are preparing to stop the approval of the trade agreement with America. European People’s Party (EPP) Chairman Manfred Weber said in a post on social media on Saturday that it was not possible for the US to ratify the deal because of Trump’s Greenland threats. Manfred Weber said on social media that the EPP was in favor of a trade deal, but that approval was no longer possible due to Trump’s Greenland threats. He talked about holding 0% tariff on American products. Other groups in the European Parliament are also calling for the agreement to be frozen. If there is consensus on the decision, the deal can be put on hold. Trump has imposed 10% tariff on 8 European countries. Donald Trump has imposed 10% tariff on 8 European countries. These countries were protesting against the threat of America’s occupation of Greenland. Trump said in a social media post on Saturday that Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland would be subject to the tariffs. Tariff will be applicable on these from February 1. He warned that if no agreement is reached with the US regarding Greenland, the tariff will be increased to 25% from June 1. Earlier, during a meeting at the White House on Friday, Trump had threatened to impose tariffs on these countries. Following Trump’s threat, the leaders of these eight countries came together and issued a joint statement in preparation to impose counter-tariffs on European countries. He said the threat of tariffs undermines transatlantic relations. Many leaders called it blackmail. On Sunday, an emergency meeting of EU ambassadors was held and crisis talks were held. The EU’s top diplomats discussed plans to restart counter-tariffs on 93 billion euros worth of US goods that were suspended after last year’s trade deal with Trump. French President Emmanuel Macron appealed to the EU to activate its most powerful weapon, the ‘Anti-Coercion Instrument’ (Big Bazooka), which can impose strict sanctions on a country that indulges in economic coercion. However, there is still no complete consensus on this in the EU and many diplomats said that efforts will be made to solve the problem through talks. EU Council chief Antonio Costa has announced an emergency EU summit, which could take place on Thursday. He said that the EU is ready to defend itself against any kind of coercion. 15% US tariff has been imposed on EU. America has imposed 15% tariff on European Union. This will increase to 25% from February 1. However, the tariff rate on steel, copper and aluminum goods will remain at 50%. An agreement was reached between the EU and the US in May 2025, under which the EU got concessions. In return, it will buy energy worth 750 billion dollars, i.e. about Rs 64 lakh crore, from America in the next 3 years. With this, EU will invest 600 billion dollars i.e. Rs 51 lakh crore in America. This investment is to be made in America’s pharma, auto and defense sectors. However, after the dispute with Trump, this investment is also in trouble. Can Trump merge Greenland with America, know the rules. Trump has been talking about merging (buying or occupying) Greenland with America since 2019. This issue has again gained prominence in his second term. But legally it is not that easy. Both Greenland and the United States are NATO countries. According to law, one NATO country cannot legally occupy another NATO country. This would be completely illegal and against the NATO treaty. Article 5 of NATO says that an attack on one member is an attack on all. If any external enemy attacks, all the members will come together to help. Greenland should first be independent, then join America: Greenland is currently an autonomous region of Denmark. Under the Self-Government Act of 2009, the people of Greenland can become independent by holding a referendum, but for this the approval of the Danish Parliament is also required. Why Greenland is so special… Special geographical position: The geographical position of Greenland is very special. It is located between North America and Europe, i.e. near the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. For this reason it is considered a very important destination in the Mid-Atlantic region. Strategic Military Importance: Greenland is vital for military and missile surveillance between Europe and Russia. America already has Thule Air Base here, which is necessary for missile warning and monitoring Russian/Chinese activities. Keeping an eye on China and Russia: The activities of Russia and China are increasing in the Arctic region. Due to its influence on Greenland, America wants to strengthen its geopolitical hold in this area. Natural Resources: Greenland is believed to have large reserves of rare minerals, oil, gas and rare earth elements, which are of great economic and technological importance in the future. China controls 70-90% of their production, so America wants to reduce its dependence. New maritime trade routes: Due to global warming, the Arctic ice is melting, opening up new shipping routes. Control of Greenland will help the US dominate these routes and stop Russia-China advance in the Arctic region. US Security Policy: The US considers Greenland the “front line” of its national security. By increasing its influence there, it wants to prevent possible future threats in advance. ————————— Also read this news… Why Greenland became the world’s new hotspot: Melting of Arctic ice increases the risk of attack; Trump-Putin-Jinping’s eye on millions of tons of minerals: Greenland, situated between America and Russia, is gradually becoming a very important area. The biggest reason for this is the warming of the world and the melting of ice in the Arctic. Read the full news…
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