President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency defence cabinet in Paris on Thursday to discuss U.S. President Donald’s Trump’s stated intent to acquire Greenland and the forceful crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran.
In an overnight message on X, Macron said a first group of French military personnel were already headed to Greenland to participate in an exercise organised by Denmark and Greenland, an overseas Danish territory.
The crisis meeting, confirmed by a French official, was scheduled to begin at 0700 GMT.
Allied nations including Germany, Norway and Sweden have begun deploying troops to Greenland in a show of support to Copenhagen and Nuuk.
The deployment follows a high-stakes meeting between U.S., Danish and Greenlandic officials, indicated that there were still fundamental, if not intractable, differences between how Washington, Copenhagen and Nuuk see the island’s future.
“At Denmark’s request, I have decided that France will participate in the joint exercises organised by Denmark in Greenland,” Macron said in his X post. “The first French military elements are already en route. Others will follow.”
Those deploying to Greenland were mountain specialists, Olivier Poivre d’Arvor, France’s ambassador to the Poles told France Info. The first batch numbered about 15 and were helping prepare the exercise dubbed Operation Arctic Endurance, he said.
Macron is due to deliver a New Year’s address to the armed forces later on Thursday.
(Reuters)
