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Danish general says there are no Chinese or Russian ships near Greenland

16 January 2026 22:37 (UTC +04:00)

The head of Denmark's military Joint Arctic Command said on Friday that there were no Chinese or Russian ships observed near Greenland, despite repeated claims by U.S. President Donald Trump to the contrary, APA reports citing Reuters.

Trump says Greenland is vital to U.S. security and has not ruled out the use of force to take it. European nations this week sent small numbers of military personnel to the island at Denmark's request.

"We don't see any Russian or Chinese vessels around Greenland... there are Chinese and Russian vessels in the Arctic Ocean, but not near Greenland," Major General Soren Andersen told Reuters.

Speaking on board a Danish warship in Nuuk, Greenland's capital, Andersen said that he had extended an invitation for the United States to join exercises planned on the island this year.

"We had a meeting today with a lot of NATO partners including the U.S. and invited them to participate in this exercise," said Andersen. When asked if the Americans will join, the general replied "I don't know that yet."