The European Union’s top general has said the bloc should deploy troops to Greenland after Donald Trump suggested he could seize the territory.

General Robert Brieger, the Austrian head of the bloc’s military committee, claimed the move would send a “strong signal”, as well as act as a deterrent to Russian and Chinese activities.

His comments come after Mr Trump suggested using military force to take over Greenland, an autonomous region of Denmark.

The territory holds a military significance for Washington, with 200 American troops stationed at the Pituffik Space Base, which is part of a missile early warning system, as well as a space and satellite surveillance command hub.