Trump Says New Denmark Deal Gives US Permanent Security Role in Greenland
President Donald Trump announced Friday that Washington has reached a deal with Denmark granting the United States permanent control over Greenland’s security, including measures designed to keep Russia and China from establishing military or commercial footholds on the strategically located Arctic territory.
Trump said the agreement gives the US permanent control over security and all other needs in Greenland, and allows Washington to immediately begin building a larger military presence there. Writing on Truth Social, he said no US adversary can ever have a base in Greenland going forward without Washington’s express written approval, describing the deal as an Infinite Life Agreement with no end.
The office of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the three governments plan to formally sign the agreement next week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, though parliamentary approval in both Denmark and Greenland will still be required before it takes effect. Frederiksen said the deal recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Greenland and Denmark, calling it a good outcome for Greenland, Denmark, NATO and Europe more broadly. Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said the emerging agreement strengthens the territory’s security while recognizing Greenland’s interests and its place in international cooperation.
A State Department official said the agreement bars non-NATO bases in Greenland and sets up mechanisms to prevent China and Russia from deploying troops, establishing bases, or making sensitive investments there. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the announcement a historic deal, saying it permanently and completely addresses US national security concerns in Greenland and ensures the territory remains part of North America’s strategic defense area, excluding any adversary from it and the surrounding region.
Trump has pointed repeatedly to growing Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic as justification for greater US control over Greenland, whose position between North America and Europe, along with its mineral resources, has given it significant strategic weight. Many details of how the agreement will actually function remain unclear, and it’s not yet apparent how it relates to an earlier understanding Trump announced with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Davos in January. Several outlets have reported that Washington is seeking to establish three additional bases in southern Greenland, beyond its existing base at Pituffik in the north, building on a 1951 US-Danish defense agreement, updated in 2004, that already allows the US to expand its military presence there with advance notice.
The push for greater US control has nonetheless strained ties with Denmark and other European allies. Since returning to office, Trump has called on Denmark to sell Greenland to the US and repeatedly declined to rule out using military force to take the territory, home to roughly 57,000 people and an autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Denmark and Greenland have insisted the territory is not for sale, and both Russia and much of Europe have criticized Washington’s campaign. Imran Bayoumi, an associate director at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, said the episode was widely seen in Denmark and across Europe as a genuine challenge to sovereignty, arguing that Americans underestimate how damaging it was for the image of the United States, and that repairing the relationship will take considerable work.
Tensions have eased somewhat since the dispute peaked, with NATO launching a new mission aimed at bolstering Arctic security in an apparent effort to address US concerns. Frederiksen said earlier this week she was optimistic that ongoing talks between Washington and Greenland could resolve the standoff. On Friday, Trump said the US looks forward to working with Denmark and Greenland toward what he called a magnificent future for the large and highly strategic territory, adding that Washington intends to be very protective of it.
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