Estonia to join NATO drills in Greenland despite Trump’s threats

Despite threats from U.S. President Donald Trump, Estonia will take part in exercises in Greenland, said the country’s Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur.

The defence chief said it would be unreasonable to link economic issues to participation in NATO exercises, which are held regularly, Caliber.Az reports via Estonian media.

Pevkur noted that Estonia has not yet sent anyone to the island: the authorities discussed the situation on January 16 and will continue discussions on January 19.

“Possibly, we will send a liaison officer there and then see how it looks in practice. Planning exercises is not a fast process,” the minister said.

This stance echoes earlier comments from Pevkur (around January 15–16), where he noted Estonia's readiness to "put boots on the ground if requested" and contribute to demonstrating NATO's collective defence commitment under Article 5 — though he clarified this is not about confronting the U.S. directly, but supporting Denmark's security responsibilities in the Arctic.

The exercises are a Danish-led initiative to bolster presence in Greenland amid heightened geopolitical tensions. Several other European NATO members (e.g., Netherlands, France, and Nordic countries) have shown similar interest or begun deployments. Latvia has also expressed potential participation.

Trump's pressure escalated recently, including announcements of tariffs on countries like Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, Finland, and the Netherlands until "agreements" on Greenland are reached. This has sparked criticism across Europe, with leaders calling the threats unacceptable and harmful to alliance unity.

By Khagan Isayev