President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States had reached an agreement with Denmark to strengthen its military role in Greenland, claiming the arrangement would give Washington permanent control over the territory’s security.
Trump said the deal “gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns.” The precise meaning of the permanent-control provision, including the scope of “all other needs”, has yet to be set out publicly.
The agreement would keep Greenland in Denmark’s hands. It nevertheless marks a significant change in Trump’s approach after he returned to the White House last year and urged Denmark to sell the island to the United States. Denmark and Greenland repeatedly said Greenland was not for sale. Trump also declined to rule out using military force to acquire it.
Trump said his administration would “immediately” begin developing a larger military presence on the mineral-rich Danish territory. He said the arrangement came at “no cost to the United States”. The financial obligations, any compensation and the size of the planned expansion remain unclear.
Mette Frederiksen’s office said the agreement would be signed by the three governments next week during the United Nations General Assembly. It still requires parliamentary action in Denmark and Greenland before it can take effect. The timing of those votes has not been announced.
Under the proposed terms, the United States would have unilateral authority to build further military structures in Greenland without approval from either the Greenland or Danish authorities. An unnamed US State Department official said the deal included “permanent access, basing and overflights rights”.
An unnamed US State Department official said the agreement would remain in force even if Greenland became independent in future. The implications for any future independence process, along with the agreement’s withdrawal and dispute-resolution provisions, are unknown.
The deal would bar non-NATO countries from establishing bases in Greenland. It would also limit investments by adversaries, with Trump saying it would ensure China and Russia could not establish a base there. The agreement’s mechanisms for restricting investments, including which sectors are covered, have not been disclosed.
The United States already has more than 100 military personnel permanently stationed at its Pituffik base at Greenland’s north-western tip. A 1951 agreement with Denmark allows the United States to send as many troops as it wants to Greenland. It remains unclear how the new arrangement would alter or sit alongside that earlier agreement.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the agreement a “historic deal” and a “huge win” for the United States. Trump has argued that Greenland is essential to his proposed Golden Dome defence system, which he says is designed to protect the United States against missile attacks from Russia and China.
The full text of the security agreement, including any classified provisions, has not been released. It is also unclear whether Greenland’s government negotiated terms independently or gave consent to terms agreed by Trump and Frederiksen. No formal responses from other NATO members, Russia or China were included in the announced terms.
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