The Government does not rule out that Spain joins the actions of European countries in Greenland, although it insists on caution and avoids, for now, specifying whether this participation would imply the sending of troops.
Executive sources emphasize that no decision has been made and that any step will depend on what Denmark finally agrees to. The uncertainty affects both the form of the mission and its scope, since different options are on the table, ranging from strengthening surveillance to deploying troops on the ground.
The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, has asked for caution and has insisted that events should not be brought forward. As he explained, the initiatives that some European countries have already launched do not respond to a classic military mission. “They are not military troops. It is not a military mission, but reconnaissance missions on the ground,” he said, emphasizing that any Spanish participation would be surveillance in nature and would be adopted in coordination with the allies.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, has spoken along the same lines, appealing to dialogue as a way to reduce tension in the Arctic, a region that he considers key to NATO security.
The Government’s position has highlighted the differences between both its investiture partners and the opposition. At the moment, there is no common criterion among the parliamentary allies of the Executive. Although they agree in their criticism of Donald Trump and in the defense of the international order, they disagree on whether Spain should participate in a mission with the presence of troops.
Since Sumar, Vice President Yolanda Díaz has distanced herself from Washington and has rejected any subordination to the United States. “We are not vassals nor are we a protectorate of Mr. Trump,” he stated. The PNV has gone further by pointing out that the United States has become “the greatest international geopolitical risk”, while Esquerra Republicana has not ruled out, if necessary, sending troops, comparing it to other conflicts such as the one in Ukraine.
More ambiguous is Vox’s position, which avoids explicitly defending Greenland against Trump’s threats and questions the role of the European Union in the escalation. From the party it has been stated that “Europe is absolutely irrelevant and Spain even more so.”
The Popular Party, for its part, opts for caution and prefers to wait for the Government to clarify what Spain’s official position will be before establishing a definitive position. The popular ones are also waiting for the scheduled meeting between Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Pedro Sánchez to assess the scenario.
Meanwhile, the Executive insists that any decision will be made discreetly, in coordination with allies and being aware of the consequences that an escalation in Greenland would have. “It would be very serious if that occurred,” Robles warned.
