French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday (January 15) a first team of French soldiers was already in place in Greenland and more military means will be deployed in the coming days.

"A first team of French soldiers is already on site and will be reinforced in the coming days by land, air and sea means," Macron said in a New Year's address to the armed forces.

Earlier on Thursday, Macron convened an emergency defence cabinet meeting in Paris to discuss U.S. President Donald's Trump's stated intent to acquire Greenland and the forceful crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran.

Other allied nations including Germany, Norway and Sweden have begun deploying troops to Greenland in a show of support to Copenhagen and Nuuk.

The deployment follows a high-stakes meeting between U.S., Danish and Greenlandic officials, indicated that there were still fundamental, if not intractable, differences between how Washington, Copenhagen and Nuuk see the island's future.

Macron also laid out efforts France was making to strengthen its and Europe's defences, telling an audience of troops and military officials "history does not forgive either unpreparedness or weakness".

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

ISTRES, FRANCE (JANUARY 15, 2026) (FRENCH ARMED FORCES - Editorial use only, no re-use after February 15, 2026, no archive, no resales)

1. VARIOUS OF FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, GOING UP TO ADDRESS MEMBERS OF FRENCH ARMED FORCES

2. MACRON STANDING AT LECTERN

3. MACRON SPEAKING

4. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

“In Greenland, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, Europeans have a particular responsibility, because this territory belongs to the European Union and is also that of one of our NATO allies. France has decided to join the exercise that was scheduled and launched by Denmark in a sovereign and independent manner, as part of 'Arctic Endurance'. A first team of French soldiers is already on site and will be reinforced in the coming days by land, air and sea means.”

5. (LEFT TO RIGHT) FRENCH DEPUTY DEFENCE MINISTER, ALICE RUFO, AND FRENCH DEFENCE MINISTER, CATHERINE VAUTRIN, LISTENING TO MACRON

6. TROOPS AND OFFICIALS LISTENING TO MACRON

7. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

“History does not forgive either unpreparedness or weakness. Our armed forces - and all our forces, including all support services in particular - are our life insurance. And nuclear deterrence, equally so, on which I will soon have the opportunity to speak again, is its keystone. All the efforts I have just mentioned, and those we will continue to make, contribute to making us ready and equal to the dangers.”

8. VARIOUS OF MACRON SPEAKING

9. TROOPS AND OFFICIALS APPLAUDING AND STANDING UP

10. VARIOUS OF MACRON, TROOPS AND OFFICIALS SINGING FRENCH NATIONAL ANTHEM

11. AIR FORCE MEMBERS STANDING TO ATTENTION

12. MILITARY BAND PLAYING

13. MACRON WALKING WITH VAUTRIN AND RUFO TO REVIEW TROOPS

14. AERIAL VIEW OF TROOP REVIEW

15. MACRON WALKING

16. MILITARY BAND PLAYING

17. MACRON REVIEWING TROOPS

18. TROOPS STANDING TO ATTENTION

19. MILITARY BAND PLAYING

20. MACRON REVIEWING TROOPS

21. FLAG OF 31ST STRATEGIC AIR SUPPLY AND TRANSPORT SQUADRON FLYING