Relations between Copenhagen, Nuuk and Washington have been strained in recent months after Trump repeatedly suggested the United States should take control of Greenland, citing national security concerns tied to the Arctic’s growing strategic importance.

Astrid Andersen, a historian at the Danish Institute for International Studies, said tensions had been particularly high earlier this year but that recent diplomatic engagement had helped cool the dispute.

“The meetings on a diplomatic level take the temperature a notch down,” Andersen said, adding that the strategy now appeared to focus on avoiding public disputes through traditional and social media.

Officials in Denmark and Greenland hope that expanded defence cooperation through NATO and the creation of a diplomatic working group involving Washington, Nuuk and Copenhagen will help ease tensions.

The initiatives are intended in part to address concerns about growing influence from Russia and China in the Arctic region, which has become increasingly important for security and resource access.

Despite the diplomatic outreach, Danish and Greenlandic authorities have maintained a firm position that any transfer of sovereignty over Greenland remains out of the question.

Trump’s recent proposal to send a U.S. hospital ship to Greenland to address local health system challenges was rejected by authorities but did not significantly escalate tensions.

Polar geopolitics researcher Mikaa Mered said Copenhagen was seeking to maintain calm during a politically sensitive period. Denmark is scheduled to hold a general election on March 24, while Greenland elects two representatives to the Danish parliament.

Greenland, which was a Danish colony for three centuries, remains an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Although Greenland’s main political parties support eventual independence, they differ on how and when that should occur.In recent months, Nuuk and Copenhagen have presented a united position in response to U.S. interest in the island.

Julie Rademacher, chair of the National Organization for Greenlanders in Denmark, said cooperation between the two governments had strengthened during the dispute.

“This is the first time there has been such close cooperation between Copenhagen and Nuuk,” she said.Greenlandic politician Aqqaluk Lynge warned that both governments needed to act cautiously, particularly with elections approaching.“He will use everything,” Lynge said of Trump, referring to the potential political impact of the Greenland issue.

Some contentious historical issues between Denmark and Greenland have been set aside temporarily amid the diplomatic tensions.

One such issue concerns a programme of forced contraception imposed on young Greenlandic women by Danish authorities between the late 1960s and 1991. Denmark issued a formal apology in 2025 and pledged compensation to those affected.

A report submitted to the Greenlandic government in early February examining the legal implications of the programme, including whether it could be classified as genocide, has not yet been made public.

Meanwhile, a visit to Greenland last month by Frederik X was widely viewed as part of an effort to demonstrate unity within the Kingdom of Denmark, which includes Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands

The exercise, known as Cold Response, focuses on defending the European Arctic region, where Norway and Finland share borders with Russia. Military officials say the drills aim to test the alliance’s ability to respond to crises in the High North, an area that has drawn growing strategic attention in recent years.

The Cold Response exercise has now been incorporated into Arctic Sentry, a NATO mission designed to strengthen the alliance’s presence in the polar region. The initiative was launched in part to ease tensions surrounding Washington’s position on Greenland and to reinforce cooperation among Arctic allies.

Trump has repeatedly argued that the United States needs control over Greenland to counter potential security threats posed by Russia and China in the Arctic. Officials in both Denmark and Greenland have rejected the idea, stating that the island is not for sale.

This year’s drills involve approximately 25,000 personnel from 14 nations, including the United States and Denmark, operating primarily across northern Norway and Finland. According to military planners, the exercises will test coordination among allied forces in cold-weather and Arctic conditions.

The United States is expected to deploy roughly 4,000 troops to the drills, making it one of the largest contributors to the exercise.

Ahead of the exercise, the U.S. military withdrew one squadron of F-35 Lightning II fighter jets that had been scheduled to participate. U.S. officials declined to say whether the decision was related to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

A spokesperson for U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe said such adjustments were common given the global commitments of American forces.

“The U.S. military is a globally deployed force and it is not abnormal for forces to be dynamically re-tasked or reallocated for a host of reasons,” the spokesperson told Reuters.

This year’s exercise places greater emphasis on the role of civilian institutions in supporting military operations, reflecting broader Nordic efforts to strengthen national resilience during crises.

Norway has designated 2026 as the year of “total defence,” a policy initiative intended to improve coordination between the military, public services, businesses and the wider population in responding to conflict or major emergencies.

Major-General Lars Lervik, head of the Norwegian Army, said the military depended on the normal functioning of civilian society in order to carry out its core mission of defending the country.

“We want our military to do its job of defending the country. To do that, we are completely reliant on most aspects of society functioning as normal,” Lervik told Reuters.

He added that the exercise also offers an opportunity to rehearse practical support roles for civilians, including preparing health services to treat a higher number of injured soldiers from Norway or allied forces during a potential conflict.

The Arctic has increasingly become a focal point of geopolitical competition as melting ice opens new maritime routes and access to natural resources. NATO officials say maintaining readiness in the region has become a strategic priority for the alliance.

Cold Response, which takes place every two years, is designed to test NATO’s ability to operate in extreme conditions while coordinating multinational forces across land, air and maritime domains.

This year’s exercise unfolds at a time of heightened global tensions, with NATO allies seeking to demonstrate operational coordination and preparedness in one of the world’s most strategically sensitive regions.