The White House said on Thursday, January 15, 2026, that the deployment of European forces in Greenland would not affect U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans to take control of the Arctic island, which belongs to Denmark.

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told a press briefing that the presence of European troops “does not affect the president’s decision-making process,” adding that it “will in no way alter his objective of annexing Greenland.”

The statement follows remarks made on Monday by European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius, who warned that a U.S. seizure of Greenland by force would mark the “end of NATO,” and stressed that EU member states would be obliged to assist Denmark in the event of military aggression.