Canadian Prime Minister Carney considers sending troops to Greenland

Prime Minister Mark Carney is considering sending a small contingent of Canadian troops to Greenland. If approved, the forces could arrive on the island by the end of the week. The decision comes amid uncertainty over Greenland’s future in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans to purchase the territory.

According to The Globe and CBC, Canadian troops could join European units already stationed in Greenland as part of exercises organised by Denmark. These exercises are conducted outside the NATO framework, similar to the “Coalition of the Willing” model used in supporting Ukraine.

Prime Minister Carney stated that he is concerned about U.S. threats to impose tariffs on goods from European countries supporting Denmark and stressed that Greenland’s future is determined by Greenland and Denmark themselves. He reaffirmed Canada’s commitment to NATO obligations, including Articles 2 and 5, and noted that Canada’s commitments remain unchanged.

President Trump previously announced plans to impose tariffs of up to 10% on countries that sent contingents to Greenland for the “Arctic Endurance” exercises (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, and the United Kingdom). By June 2026, tariffs could rise to 25% and remain in place until an agreement on the U.S. purchase of Greenland is reached.

According to NBC News, Trump has increasingly focused on Canada, arguing that, like Greenland, the country would be unable to defend itself against potential attacks from Russia or China and insisting that Canada increase its defence spending. At the same time, the U.S. does not plan to station troops along Canada’s northern border.

Earlier, Carney announced that Canada plans to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, with a target of 2% of GDP to be reached in the current 2025/2026 fiscal year.

By Vugar Khalilov