LONDON, January 11 (Reuters) – Britain said on Sunday that discussions with other NATO members on discouraging Russian activity in the Arctic were “business as usual”, after media reported that the United Kingdom was in talks with its European allies about deploying a military force in Greenland.
The Telegraph reported on Saturday that military chiefs from Britain and other European countries were drawing up plans for a possible NATO mission in Greenland, which US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wanted to acquire.
The newspaper said British officials had begun early-stage talks with Germany, France and others about plans that could involve the deployment of British troops, warships and aircraft to protect Greenland from Russia and China.
British Transport Minister Heidi Alexander, asked on Sky News if Britain was discussing troop deployment, said talks on how to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Arctic were “business as usual”.
“It’s becoming an increasingly contested geopolitical region, with Russia and China … you would expect us to be talking to all of our allies in NATO about what we can do to deter Russian aggression in the Arctic Circle,” Alexander said.
Asked about the Telegraph report, a government spokesman said Britain was “committed to working with NATO allies to strengthen NATO’s Arctic deterrence and defence”.
Trump said the United States should own Greenland, an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark, to prevent Russia or China from occupying the strategically located and mineral-rich territory in the future, arguing that the United States’ military presence was not enough.
Bloomberg News reported on Sunday that a group of European countries, led by Great Britain and Germany, are discussing plans to boost their military presence in Greenland.
Citing people familiar with the plans, the report said Germany would propose setting up a joint NATO mission to protect the Arctic region.
The Financial Times reported on Sunday that Nordic diplomats rejected Trump’s claims about Russian and Chinese vessels operating near Greenland.
Trump has provided no evidence to support his claims, which Denmark disputes. Vessel tracking data from MarineTraffic and LSEG shows no presence of the Chinese or Russian ship near Greenland.
The Telegraph reported that European nations hope a stronger military presence in the Arctic will convince Trump to abandon his plans to seize the island.
(Reporting by Catarina Demony; Additional reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Ros Russell)