UK and Nato allies boosting Arctic defence as Trump ramps up Greenland pressure
The Government has played down reports British troops could be sent to Greenland as part of a Nato mission.
The UK is working with Nato allies to bolster security in the Arctic, a Cabinet minister said following reports British troops could be sent to Greenland.
US President Donald Trump has insisted he wants control over Greenland and has not ruled out the prospect of using military force to seize the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said discussions about securing the High North against Russia and China were part of Nato’s “business as usual” rather than a response to the US military threat.
The Sunday Telegraph reported that military chiefs are drawing up plans for a possible Nato mission to Greenland which could involve British soldiers, warships and planes being deployed to the island.
But Ms Alexander told BBC One’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg the report “possibly reads something more into business as usual discussions amongst Nato allies than there actually are”.
She said the UK agreed with President Trump that the Arctic Circle “is becoming an increasingly contested part of the world with the ambitions of (Vladimir) Putin and China”.
“Whilst we haven’t seen the appalling consequences in that part of the world that we’ve seen in Ukraine, it is really important that we do everything that we can with all of our Nato allies to ensure that we have an effective deterrent in that part of the globe against Putin.”
Mr Trump has said he wants to get control over Greenland, which has a strategic location and natural resources, and “if we don’t do it the easy way, we’re going to do it the hard way”.
But former UK ambassador to the US Lord Peter Mandelson said he did not believe Mr Trump would use the military against a Nato ally.
“President Trump is not going to land on Greenland, take Greenland by force,” he said.
“He’s not a fool. What’s going to happen is there’s going to be a lot of discussion, a lot of consultation, a lot of negotiation and at the end of the day, we are all going to have to wake up to the reality that the Arctic needs securing against China and Russia.
“And if you ask me who is going to lead in that effort to secure, we all know, don’t we, that it’s going to be the United States.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “The UK should offer to send troops to Greenland as part of a joint Nato operation under Danish and UK command.
“If Trump is serious about security, he’d agree to participate and drop his outrageous threats. Tearing the Nato alliance apart would only play into the hands of Putin.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told BBC One’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that the situation in Greenland was a “second order issue” compared with the immediate crises unfolding around the world.
She said: “What I’m seeing right now is protests in Iran, a strategic threat to Nato, to our country. We’re not talking about that, we’re talking about Greenland, which actually, I believe is a second order issue versus what is happening right now.
“Of course we need to make sure that we secure Nato countries, and we stand with Greenland, we stand with Denmark.
“But right now, talking about troops as if we are going to war with the US, I don’t want your viewers to be confused about what it is that the priority is. The priority right now is the British national interest. What are we doing to make our country safer? Making sure Nato is stronger is key.”
