Ottawa [Canada], January 20 (ANI): Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is considering sending soldiers to Greenland for military exercises with NATO allies, CBC news reported, citing sources on Monday.
As per CBC news, two senior Canadian officials said that a set of contingency plans were drawn up last week and presented to the federal government. While a Royal Canadian Air Force contingent is already taking part in a pre-planned NORAD exercise in Greenland, PM Carney is considering whether to send additional forces as part of the sovereignty exercises being planned by the Danes. It further mentioned that both sources said they are not certain which way the government is leaning. According to CBC, the options include flying in a small contingent of Canadian soldiers by the end of the week if called upon, the sources said. It mentioned that the news of the potential deployment was first reported by The Globe and Mail. Earlier on Saturday, during a press conference in Qatar, PM Carney said that Canada is “concerned” by Trump’s tariff threat and “we always will support sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries wherever their geographic location is.” “Decisions about the future of Greenland are for Greenland and Denmark to decide,” the prime minister added. This comes as Germany, Sweden, France, Norway, the Netherlands, and Finland have sent small numbers of military personnel to Greenland to join the exercise in a move to ensure the safety of the Arctic. Denmark had also invited the US to join the military exercise. Meanwhile, strengthening his push to acquire Denmark’s territory, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Denmark and other European countries, including the UK, unless they agree to sell Greenland. In his post, Trump claimed the move is necessary for national security, citing China’s and Russia’s interest in the territory. He offered to negotiate with the European nations but warned of escalating tariffs of 10 per cent from February 1, 2026, and 25 per cent from June 1, 2026 if a deal wasn’t reached, stating it was “time for Denmark to give back” after years of US support. On Tuesday, it was mentioned that the United States will deploy a North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) aircraft at the Pituffik space base, Greenland, as tensions rise over President Donald Trump’s move to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory. NORAD said that the aircraft will arrive at the base to support various long-planned activities. They also said that this action is taken in coordination with Denmark and Greenland. (ANI)
