North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) aircraft have departed for the US air base in Pitufik in Greenland, the department's press service reported.
The publication states that these aircraft, along with those based in the continental United States and Canada, “will support various long-planned NORAD activities, building on the strong defense cooperation between the United States and Canada, as well as the Kingdom of Denmark“.
“These activities were coordinated with the Kingdom of Denmark and all supporting forces operate with the necessary diplomatic permissions. The Greenland government has also been informed of the planned activities, the publication said.
It is emphasized that NORAD regularly conducts “dispersed“ defensive operations in its areas of responsibility (Alaska, Canada and the continental United States).
Pitufik Air Base is located on the northwestern tip of Greenland. The United States has operated it since World War II. Currently, more than 100 American military personnel are stationed there.
Trump has repeatedly stated that the United States needs control over Greenland, an autonomous territory within Denmark, for national security reasons. In early January, amid the military operation in Venezuela, he reiterated that Greenland was “absolutely important” to the United States – the island, he said, was “surrounded by Russian and Chinese ships“. These claims were denied by NATO and Denmark.
The US president did not rule out the possibility of seizing the island by force. Against this background, several European countries sent their troops to Greenland. Trump announced that from February 1, a 10% tariff would be imposed on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland. Berlin soon withdrew its troops from the island. Two officers from the Netherlands also left Greenland.
Trump also proposed buying Greenland. According to NBC News, such a deal could cost Washington $700 billion, more than half of the Pentagon's annual budget. The television station reported that the president had instructed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to prepare a proposal to purchase Greenland.
Plans to establish US control over Greenland have led to tensions between Europe and the United States. The European Union is considering retaliatory measures, including imposing tariffs on American goods.