The European Union can help provide security for Greenland, should Denmark request it, the European Commissioner for Defence and Space said, warning that a U.S. military takeover of the island would be the end of NATO.

Denmark, which organized the operation, has so far not disclosed any figures regarding the number of soldiers who have arrived in Nuuk, the island's capital, on a 'reconnaissance mission.'

The White House on Thursday said a European military mission taking shape in Greenland would not deter President Donald Trump from pursuing control of the autonomous, mineral-rich Danish territory.

An Austrian campaigner’s warning that the European Union would take over U.S. military bases in Europe if Washington invades Greenland has been mischaracterised online as having been said by an EU or NATO official.

Trump has said the U.S. "needs" Greenland for security reasons, amid the specter of force to take control of the vast Arctic island.

Greenland is rapidly becoming a geopolitical flashpoint. European troops are arriving on the island, Denmark is pushing for a stronger NATO presence, and the Trump administration insisting it still wants the United States to acquire Greenland.