The United States, Denmark and Greenland have signed an agreement giving Washington permanent control over Greenland’s security, settling a diplomatic crisis that followed President Donald Trump’s earlier suggestion that the US could acquire the island by force.
Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen signed the accord on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, at the UN General Assembly in New York. The agreement amends the 1951 defence treaty that has provided the legal basis for the US military presence in Greenland.
The terms described by the three governments give the US authority to expand its military presence, build further military structures without approval from either Greenland or Denmark, and operate aircraft across the island. US aircraft will be able to fly over and land anywhere in Greenland.
The arrangement also gives Washington a lasting role in the island’s security if Greenland becomes independent in the future. In his address to the UN, Trump said the agreement gave the US “permanent control over security and all other needs on that territory.”
The accord does not meet Trump’s demand for Greenland to become a US territory. It instead preserves Danish and Greenlandic sovereignty while substantially extending US defence authority over the strategically important Arctic island.
Two military sites are expected to open under the deal. One is Narsarsuaq, a former Cold War airbase whose population has fallen to a few dozen. The other is Mestersvig, which is currently used by the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a Danish special forces unit.
The agreement also allows the US to establish a “Golden Dome” defence system in Greenland to guard against ballistic missile threats. It bars countries outside the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation from building bases on the island. It also prohibits investments by adversaries where those investments could threaten the United States.
Trump said Washington would have a decisive say over such activity. “No US adversary will ever be permitted to establish a military presence in Greenland any more, or make sensitive investments there without our express written approval,” he said. He also said the agreement came with “no cost to the United States.”
Frederiksen presented the accord as a durable security arrangement, saying it could “last forever”. She said it affirmed the importance of the NATO alliance and respected Greenland’s right to self-determination. Nielsen said the agreement recognised “Greenland’s interests and our place in international co-operation.”
A NATO spokesperson welcomed the accord, saying it would “help advance security, stability and cooperation in this vital region.” The deal comes as the US seeks broader defence capabilities in the Arctic amid heightened geopolitical tension with Russia.
A text of the agreement released after the signing says the accord amends the 1951 defence treaty and allows the US to establish a “Golden Dome” defence system in Greenland. It remains unclear what military capabilities will be added beyond the two named sites, which further structures the US plans to build, and how restrictions on foreign investment will work in practice.
The agreement must now complete the necessary national parliamentary procedures before it can enter into force. The timetable for that process has not been disclosed.
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