The operation, Steadfast Dart, comes as President Trump has been accused of undermining the alliance and will be watched closely to see how well the allies manage without their most important partner.

The flags were outside the U.S. embassy in Denmark to honor Danish soldiers.

By Andrew Gray and Phil Stewart BRUSSELS, Jan 29 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is not expected to attend a NATO defence ministers' meeting in Brussels next month, two sources said, the second time in a row that a top Trump administration official skips a gathering of the military alliance.

European veterans, families of the fallen, and politicians are voicing outrage over Trump's claim NATO allies stayed behind the front lines in Afghanistan.

Italian PM Giorgia Meloni calls Trump's NATO comments about Afghanistan "unacceptable," defending Italy's sacrifice of 53 soldiers killed in the conflict.

In an interview Thursday, Trump had claimed troops from non-American NATO countries had stayed off the “front lines” during the war in Afghanistan. The comments drew fierce criticism across Europe, including from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who called them “insulting and frankly, appalling.”

With the Greenland crisis seemingly averted, the U.S. and its European allies still face a larger long-term challenge: Can their shaky marriage be saved?

U.S. president’s swipe at NATO troops in Afghanistan mark latest challenge to alliance.

Marco Rubio tells NATO allies the U.S. "may be the richest country in the world, but we don't have unlimited resources," discussing defense needs.