US demands permanent foothold in Greenland during secret talks: Report

Months after Donald Trump ramped up calls to seize Greenland, confidential negotiations are now under way that could change the future of the Arctic island. According to The New York Times, Washington is seeking expanded military rights and influence over major investment decisions in Greenland, which might threaten the territory’s sovereignty.

The report said officials from the US, Greenland and Denmark have held at least five closed-door meetings in Washington since January, as the Trump administration pushes for a larger and more permanent American role in the strategically important Arctic territory rich in rare earth minerals, untapped natural resources, oil and uranium buried beneath ice sheet and key military routes increasingly viewed as critical to US national security interests.

The negotiations were initially aimed to calm tensions after Trump’s aggressive remarks raised fears of a diplomatic rupture within NATO. But Greenlandic leaders now worry the discussions are moving in the opposite direction, opening the door for a much bigger and longer-lasting American presence on the island.

US WANTS LONG-TERM MILITARY AND STRATEGIC ACCESS

The US is trying to revise a decades-old military arrangement to ensure American forces can continue operating in Greenland permanently, even if the island eventually gains independence from Denmark. Greenlandic politicians view the proposal as a "forever clause" that could permanently limit the island’s sovereignty.

Washington negotiators are also pushing for effective veto power over major foreign investment deals in Greenland, particularly to block Russian and Chinese involvement in infrastructure and mining projects. Officials familiar with the negotiations said that both Greenland and Denmark oppose any arrangement that would allow Washington to influence commercial decisions on the island.

"If the Americans get everything they want," Greenlandic lawmaker Justus Hansen told The NYT, there would never be any "real independence".

"We might as well raise our own flag halfway," he said.

The Pentagon is also reportedly moving ahead with plans for military expansion in Greenland. The report said a US Marine Corps officer recently visited the southern Greenlandic town of Narsarsuaq to inspect an airport, harbour facilities and possible housing sites for American troops.

General Gregory M. Guillot, head of US Northern Command, told the US news outlet that Greenland would form part of a larger Arctic defence network linking radar stations and military bases across Alaska, Canada and Greenland. He said the US military wants a deepwater port and facilities for rotating Special Operations forces through the island for training exercises.

GREENLAND FEARS LOSS OF CONTROL

Greenland’s leadership has repeatedly said the island is not for sale and that any future decision on independence must remain solely in Greenlandic hands.

"None of this is fair," Pipaluk Lynge, chairwoman of Greenland Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, told The NYT. "It feels very all or nothing. The best outcome is simply not to be invaded or controlled."

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also stressed that Greenland wanted economic cooperation without surrendering authority.

"We can absolutely do business," Nielsen said. "But we have very strict environmental regulations and that is how it will remain."

"I’m almost tired of saying it," he added. "But the question of Greenlandic independence and the relationship between Greenland and Denmark is something we must decide internally. It’s not something the Americans or anyone else should interfere in."

The report said Greenlandic politicians are worried that Trump could revive his push to annex Greenland if conflicts in Iran and Ukraine ease.

Some officials have reportedly become so concerned that they are closely keeping an eye on June 14, which is Trump’s birthday, fearing he could once again shift focus back to Greenland.

US ENVOY ARRIVES IN NUUK

In a separate development, US special envoy Jeff Landry arrived in Nuuk on Sunday. Landry, the Louisiana governor appointed by Trump last year to advance US interests in Greenland, is expected to attend the "Future Greenland" business conference alongside US ambassador to Denmark Kenneth Howery.

The US embassy in Copenhagen said the delegation aimed to "meet with a wide range of Greenlanders to listen and learn with a goal of expanding economic opportunities, building people-to-people ties, and increasing understanding between the United States and Greenland".

Earlier this year, Greenland, Denmark and the US agreed to begin high-level diplomatic negotiations in an attempt to defuse tensions over Trump’s renewed interest in the Arctic territory.

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