Donald Trump has announced a Greenland security deal with Denmark and the semi-autonomous territory that would expand the US military presence there, potentially easing a dispute that had strained relations between Washington and its NATO allies.
The agreement’s full terms were not immediately clear. Leaders in Copenhagen and Nuuk said they expected it to be signed next week during the United Nations General Assembly in New York, but offered a markedly different account of what had been agreed.
Mr Trump said the United States had secured “permanent control over security, and all other needs” in Greenland. Mette Frederiksen, Denmark’s prime minister, said the deal recognised “the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of the Kingdom of Denmark.
That description suggests the agreement falls well short of Mr Trump’s previous demand for outright control of Greenland. Earlier this year, he said that “anything less” than US ownership would be “unacceptable”, describing possession of the territory as “psychologically important” to him.
In a social media post, Mr Trump said the arrangement would prevent any US adversary from establishing a base, maintaining a military presence or making sensitive investments in Greenland without Washington’s “express written approval”.
However, Danish and Greenlandic officials did not immediately confirm that the United States would have such veto powers, which had been strongly resisted during recent negotiations. Two people familiar with the talks said Mr Trump had overstated the extent of the new authority, while a US military official said American forces would work with Danish and Greenlandic counterparts rather than take control of them.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: “This deal permanently and completely addresses our national security concerns in Greenland.” The State Department said countries outside NATO would not be allowed to build a base or maintain a military presence on the territory under the agreement.
The arrangement would also remain in force if Greenland became independent, according to a State Department official. Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said it recognised “Greenland’s interests and our place in international cooperation” and was “to the benefit of us all”.
Ms Frederiksen said the agreement would strengthen “our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic area and is therefore also good for NATO and Europe”. She also referred to Greenlanders’ right to self-determination.
US military presence in Greenland
Mr Trump said the United States would “immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland”. Washington has maintained a military presence on the island since the Second World War, and a 1951 agreement with Denmark gives it broad freedom to operate installations there.
That agreement does not have a time limit and has allowed access by NATO forces. The new proposal is intended to ensure that non-NATO countries cannot establish military facilities in Greenland, although the territory’s status within the alliance already made such a prospect highly unlikely.
The apparent agreement followed months of confidential discussions involving the United States, Denmark and Greenland. Negotiators met in Washington roughly once a month, discussing military expansion and co-operation over natural resources, while US officials sought to prevent competitors including Russia and China from securing major investments.
Greenland was at the centre of a severe diplomatic dispute after Mr Trump repeatedly pressed for its acquisition. Denmark and Greenland rejected the proposal, before talks shifted towards arrangements intended to protect US access and address concerns about military activity in the Arctic.
The United States now has one remaining installation on the island, Pituffik Space Base, after more than a dozen Cold War facilities were closed. American military officers have recently visited Greenland to examine the possibility of reopening former bases, including surveying a runway at Narsarsuaq in the south.
