A German military reconnaissance team of 15 soldiers sent to Greenland is due to depart the Arctic island today, January 18, 2026, for Copenhagen after completing its mission, according to a report by dpa_intl shared in the past 29 minutes. The mission was planned from Thursday, January 15, to Saturday, January 17, involving 13 soldiers as part of a reconnaissance effort with other European nations at Denmark's request to explore military contributions to regional security, as confirmed by InsiderGeo citing a January 14 German statement and Reuters. This update follows earlier reports between 11:46 a.m. and 1:16 p.m. UTC today of the team's withdrawal on Berlin orders, amid U.S. President Donald Trump's January 17 announcement of 10% tariffs on Denmark and assisting nations starting February 1, rising to 25% on June 1 absent a Greenland purchase deal. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated from Seoul earlier today that she spoke with Trump on the issue, attributing tensions to an EU communication problem and urging dialogue, according to Sky News.
