COPENHAGEN: Sweden will patrol around Iceland and Greenland with Gripen fighter jets as part of NATO's Arctic Sentry mission, it said on Thursday.

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

"This strengthens deterrence, protects our common interests, and contributes to stability in a region that is crucial for Europe and transatlantic cooperation," Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in a statement.

"Sweden will initially contribute to Arctic Sentry with JAS 39 Gripen aircraft in the area around Iceland and Greenland," he said.