Denmark backs Greenland deal as Trump expands US role under Danish control
Denmark's government on Saturday expressed cautious optimism after US President Donald Trump announced a deal on Greenland that would expand the American military presence on the Arctic island while keeping it under Danish control. The announcement followed months of threats by Trump to seize the semiautonomous territory, which is part of a NATO ally.
Denmark said the agreement will be signed by the governments of the United States, Denmark and Greenland next week during the United Nations General Assembly, although it will still need parliamentary approval in Denmark and Greenland before it can take effect. In Greenland, the island's top diplomat also welcomed the development and said an agreement had been a long time coming.
Trump said on Friday that the agreement would give the United States "permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many US concerns". He also said the US would "immediately" begin the process of developing a larger military presence on the mineral-rich Danish territory.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Instagram on Saturday morning, "Next week could be a good week for Greenland, Denmark, and the United States alike." He added: "A period of uncertainty will hopefully be replaced by a binding agreement that strengthens security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic - and thus also our shared security within NATO and Europe - while respecting the Kingdom's red lines."
Greenland Foreign Minister Mute B. Egede said he was pleased that "we now have an agreement within reach". "It has taken some time," he told Denmark's TV2 broadcaster. "I'm pleased that we finally have an end product within reach. And it's about time."
The US had long held several bases and installations in Greenland during the Cold War before reducing its presence. It still operates the remote Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, built after the US and Denmark signed the Defence of Greenland Treaty in 1951. The base supports missile warning, missile defence and space surveillance operations for the US and NATO.
Few details of the new deal have been made public so far. However, a US State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorised to comment publicly, said the agreement bans any non-NATO base in Greenland, limits adversaries from making investments there, and guarantees that China and Russia cannot have a base on the island.
US, Greenlandic and Danish officials had quietly negotiated for months behind the scenes to address some of Trump's security concerns about the territory, which has around 56,000 residents. With the announcement of the pact, Trump can point to a foreign policy achievement ahead of the midterm elections in the US.
After returning to the White House, Trump had called on Denmark to sell the island to the US, while insisting Greenland was crucial for American security. He also did not rule out taking the island by military force, even though Denmark is a NATO ally. Denmark and Greenland repeatedly said the island was not for sale and condemned reports that the US was gathering intelligence there. The US push for Greenland was also fiercely opposed by Russia and much of Europe.
Greenland grassroots pro-sovereignty activist Orla Joelsen wrote on X that "our fight against Trump's ambition to take over Greenland has been won". Joelsen added that "The new agreement explicitly recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the Greenlandic people's right to self-determination", underlining that the deal keeps Greenland under Danish control while opening the way for a stronger US military role.
