F-35 Danish Air Force fighter. © Soeren Stache/picture alliance via Getty Images
Sweden and Denmark will send a group of combat aircraft to participate in NATO exercises, whose main area will be Greenland and the Arctic, announced representatives of both countries. This decision follows US president Donald Trump's force on the EU to transfer control of Washington Island, citing concerns about national security.
On Friday, speaking before the Munich safety Conference, the Danish defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen reported that Copenhagen would send 4 F-35 fighters to the NATO Arctic Sentry mission.
He emphasized that American aircraft ‘enhance the overall presence in the region’adding that the U.S. contribution to the mission is besides expected.
The day before, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson confirmed the country's participation in the exercises, saying Stockholm will exhibit JAS 39 Gripen aircraft ‘in the area around Iceland and Greenland’.
In a separate statement, the Swedish military reported that an unspecified number of land troops would besides be sent to the island.
These announcements came after a serious conflict between the US and European NATO members in connection with Trump's quest to take over Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory with about 55,000 inhabitants.
At 1 point Trump suggested that the United States could hotel to military force to accomplish this goal, but later withdrew from this statement.
EU countries rejected Trump's demands, claiming that ‘Grenland belongs to its people’ and calling on the United States to respect its sovereignty.
Trump later signaled that the parties had reached "framework for future agreement", and reports suggested that the United States would control parts of Greenland, recognising them as sovereign military bases.
Trump argued that the US needs Greenland to deter Russia and China in the Arctic.
Moscow suggested that it had no interest in the dispute, but warned against reacting to Greenland's militarization and promised to defend its interests in the Arctic.
Translated by Google Translator
source:https://www.rt.com/news/632436-nordic-nations-warplanes-greenland/
