Denmark to provide four F-35 fighter jets to NATO's Arctic Sentry

Denmark will provide four F-35 fighter jets to NATO's Arctic Sentry mission, Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Friday.

NATO said on Wednesday it had launched the mission to strengthen its presence in the Arctic, part of an effort to defuse tensions within the alliance prompted by the U.S. president's push to acquire Greenland from Denmark.

"Our F-35 contribution strengthens the overall presence in the region and underscores Denmark's role as an active ally in the Arctic and North Atlantic," Poulsen said in a statement.

Poulsen also expects the United States to contribute to the NATO mission, he told reporters ahead of the Munich Security Conference in the German city.

-Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Louise Rasmussen/Reuters