London [UK], January 12: The UK is working with NATO allies to bolster security in the Arctic, a Cabinet minister said on Sunday following reports British troops could be sent to Greenland.
US President Donald Trump has insisted he wants control over Greenland and has not ruled out the prospect of using military force to seize the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said discussions about securing the High North against Russia and China were part of NATO's "business as usual" rather than a response to the US military threat.
The Sunday Telegraph reported that military chiefs are drawing up plans for a possible NATO mission to Greenland which could involve British soldiers, warships and planes being deployed to the island.
Alexander told BBC One's "Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg" the report "possibly reads something more into business as usual discussions amongst NATO allies than there actually are." She said the UK agreed with President Trump that the Arctic Circle "is becoming an increasingly contested part of the world with the ambitions of Putin and China". (PA Media/dpa)
Source: Qatar Tribune