Russians are having way too much fun with this...
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
by Gregor Spitzen
[REGNUM] On January 15, the Bundeswehr launched a reconnaissance operation in Greenland with the participation of 13 soldiers.
Other countries also sent troops to the island: 15 French, a couple of Norwegians, one Englishman, and one Estonian each. Thus, the total contingent of European reinforcements sent to assist Greenland and its Danish mother country amounted to a whole combined platoon. Enough to demonstrate symbolic support for a NATO ally, but clearly not enough to impress the hawkish Donald Trump.
And just a couple of days later, the pompously announced deployment of troops from Denmark's European allies, intended as an expression of solidarity and a demonstration of presence, ended ingloriously.
German troops were quietly withdrawn from Greenland just two days later, having "successfully completed their task."
| Um. I don’t know what to say. |
"What was that?" wondered the astonished German public. "Did our dear American partners just give us a painful slap on the nose, showing Germany its true place on the global geopolitical chessboard, and we're pretending nothing special happened?"
Yes and no.
"TO GREENLAND - "HOH!", FROM GREENLAND - "OH!.."
No, because some in the Bundeswehr and the German government did anticipate how such a “flag show” might end, and therefore the mandate of the German intelligence unit specifically stated “a research mission to Greenland from January 15 to 17.”
So, formally, on paper, the “research operation” was carried out simply flawlessly.
It's doubtful, of course, that the soldiers, exhausted from the long flight with its changing time zones and climates, as well as two layovers in Copenhagen and Reykjavik, were physically capable of carrying out any mission on a polar island, let alone a research one. It's unlikely they even managed to get a good night's sleep after the flight.
.
According to Bundeswehr insiders, the soldiers who flew to Greenland were simply furious at their useless voyage.
Not only was their mission in the Arctic completely formal and meaningless, but the German military always reacts very sensitively when politicians use them for demonstration purposes, to symbolically “mark territory.”
Whatever one may say, the fact that Germany is withdrawing its symbolic contingent from Greenland just two days later—right after US President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on countries that oppose his policy toward the polar island—looks to the general public precisely like German capitulation to the threats of the head of the White House.
This is the second time in the new year, 2026, that such negative associations have arisen among honest citizens who regularly pay taxes and vote faithfully, choosing from two or more candidates.
In Germany, they have not yet recovered from Friedrich Merz's vague statement following the American raid on Caracas, in which the Chancellor expressed himself in the spirit that "the FRG currently does not have a clear position on this issue."
Some experts believe this behavior is fatal to Germany's international image. Berlin's conformist stance toward Trump effectively represents Germany's renunciation of an independent foreign policy. The reaction of France and the UK appears much harsher, at least in words.
HELD HOSTAGE BY WASHINGTON
The economists' arguments are clear.
Germany cannot afford to impose tariffs on its already stagnant economy.
But the fact remains: Europeans have virtually no leverage over Washington and are completely dependent on the will of their overseas partners in matters of both international security and bilateral trade.
Especially in the energy sector.
Given the unusually cold winter and the refusal to rely on Russian energy sources, the filling level of German gas storage facilities as of January 19 was 42.72%.
If the cyclone that brought unprecedented frosts to the European part of Russia moves west, the situation in the German energy sector can rightfully be described as catastrophic.
So the transatlantic solidarity partners, who now control the lion's share of liquefied natural gas supplies to Germany, are effectively holding Germany hostage.
THE LOYAL VASSAL REBELS
In Germany's post-war history, only once has the official position of the German authorities diverged from the agenda set in Washington: the war in Iraq, which was not supported by Gerhard Schröder's government, violated the transatlantic consensus for the first time.
Since then, Berlin's reaction to American initiatives has been rather accommodating.
Even in discussions on Ukraine, Germany and its chancellor do not dare to sharply diverge from Trump in their assessment of the situation, lest they inadvertently provoke the wrath of the head of the White House.
However, for lower-ranking politicians who do not have a mandate to speak for all of Germany, this rule does not apply so strictly.
Thus, Federal Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil criticized Donald Trump's threats to introduce tariffs as blackmail and announced a tough response from the EU.
"Germany and France are united in their opinion: we will not succumb to blackmail. If Trump does not abandon his threats to impose tariffs, Europe will give a unified and clear response. This response is already being prepared," the German Vice Chancellor boldly declared at a meeting with his French counterpart, Roland Lescure, on January 19 in Berlin.
The Federal Finance Minister named three countermeasures that are currently being prepared in the EU.
The tariff agreement negotiated by the EU and the US is now "frozen," Klingbeil said. European tariffs on US imports, suspended until February 6, may come into effect. The German Finance Minister also referred to a "European toolbox" with which the EU can respond to "economic blackmail."
"We must consider the possibility of applying these measures," the German Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.
The German federal government previously rejected the US President's threat to impose punitive tariffs as "unacceptable."
"With these threats, he is exacerbating the trade conflict. We will also prepare additional economic countermeasures if necessary. And if necessary, we will do so as early as February. There is broad agreement on this issue among EU member states," government spokesman Stefan Cornelius said in Berlin.
Peter Leibinger, president of the Federal Association of German Industries (BDI), also called on the EU to act "unanimously and confidently" in response to the tariff threats.
"The EU must make clear that it is and remains an indispensable strategic partner for the United States. Europe is the largest single market in the world," Leibinger said.
Even former German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who currently holds the post of President of the UN General Assembly, spoke out on the current issue.
"The US is harming itself with its customs policy. What Trump is doing is also a complete blow to its own economy. The US has a huge debt and is absolutely interested in continuing trade. The rules-based order of the United Nations is under aggressive attack. It must be defended, because the UN Charter is our life insurance," she emphasized.
TRUMP IS NOT AFRAID
In the comments sections of the websites of leading German socio-political publications, ordinary readers are also not at all complimentary about Europe's reaction to Trump's aggressive policies.
"Europe is reacting as usual. Summits, statements of solidarity, moral self-assertion. [European Commission President Ursula ] von der Leyen is tweeting her position, [Bundestag Defense Committee Chair Marie-Agnes ] Strack-Zimmermann is calling for toughness, although in reality they have nothing to counter Trump with, either militarily or economically.
"The announced retaliatory tariffs are a well-known ritual of self-soothing. European politicians are threatening the US with tools they themselves are afraid to use because they know how dependent they are," writes a reader on the Die Welt website.
The reality is that neither Germany nor Europe as a whole currently has any ability to resist Donald Trump's expansionist policies.
It is unlikely that the menacing rhetoric of German politicians will deceive anyone.
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