By Andrea Palasciano and Sanne Wass (Bloomberg) — NATO is set to enhance its presence in the Arctic with a new mission called "Arctic Sentry." This comes in response to tensions following US President Donald Trump's interest in acquiring Greenland.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization announced this mission on Wednesday, just before a meeting of defense ministers in Brussels.

“We face a significant threat now that the sea routes are opening and we must ensure the safety of this crucial area in NATO territory,” said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to reporters before the meeting.

This announcement follows a turbulent period when Trump nearly caused a split in the transatlantic alliance with his claims over Greenland, which belongs to NATO ally Denmark. After discussions with Rutte, Trump decided to back down for the time being, leading to the formation of Arctic Sentry, which aims to improve NATO's coordination in the region.

“For the first time, we will unify our efforts under one command,” Rutte said when asked about the significance of the new mission.

The topic of Arctic Sentry is expected to be discussed during the meeting on Thursday.

NATO has been working to strengthen its Arctic presence since early January, when Trump expressed a desire to annex Greenland, an island that is gaining strategic relevance due to global warming's impact on land and shipping routes.

Denmark has pledged to make a "substantial contribution" to the Arctic Sentry mission, coordinating closely with Greenland and the Faroe Islands, according to a statement from the Danish defense ministry. However, the specifics of how this mission will be organized are still being determined.

“We also seek to enhance cooperation with other NATO allies regarding various capabilities that may be involved,” said Danish defense minister Troels Lund Poulsen as he arrived for a meeting with EU defense ministers in Brussels. This collaboration could include P-8 aircraft, with Denmark looking to work alongside Germany, he added.