EU leaders began coalescing around a negotiation strategy in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's threats over Greenland security on January 18, 2026, while not ruling out retaliation, according to a New York Times article shared by FaytuksNetwork on X during the two-hour-29-minute period from 11:16 p.m. UTC on January 18 to 1:46 a.m. UTC on January 19. The strategy emerges amid heightened NATO tensions in the High North, following Danish defense documents revealed earlier on January 18 that showed the United States sought information on Greenland military installations without involving Copenhagen, as reported by Berlingske and cited in previous coverage. Canada weighed deploying soldiers to Greenland as NATO solidarity with Denmark during reports from 9:17 p.m. to 10:16 p.m. UTC on January 18, according to The Globe and Mail, building on multinational exercises involving France, Norway, the United Kingdom, and Sweden that met Joint Arctic Command commander Major General Søren Andersen earlier that day, per Danish armed forces Forsvaret. The United Kingdom's Commando Helicopter Force also ramped up Operation Clockwork in northern Norway with Norwegian forces to prepare for Exercise Cold Response 2026, as announced by Joint Force Command Norfolk between 8:16 p.m. and 9:16 p.m. UTC on January 18. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressed Trump's tariff threats on NATO allies pursuing Greenland security in an afternoon call with the U.S. president on January 18, according to a Downing Street readout.
