Denmark's defence minister attended a military exercise in Greenland on Monday with his Icelandic and Norwegian counterparts, the Danish defence ministry said, but the United States, which covets the Danish autonomous territory, was absent.

Organised by Denmark, the "Arctic Light 2025" exercise brings together more than 550 troops from NATO allies Denmark, France, Germany, Norway and Sweden.

"The current security situation requires us to significantly strengthen the armed forces' presence in the Arctic and North Atlantic," Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said in a statement.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly said the United States needs the strategically located, resource-rich island for security reasons, which has sparked diplomatic tension

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