US-Greenland deal boosts Arctic security while keeping Danish control

Copenhagen,UPDATED: Sep 19, 2026 15:58 IST

Denmark's government said on Saturday it was cautiously optimistic about US President Donald Trump's announcement of a deal on Greenland that would strengthen the American military presence on the island while keeping it under Danish control. The response came after months in which Trump had threatened to seize the semi-autonomous territory, which belongs to a NATO ally.

Greenland's top leaders also welcomed the agreement, saying it had been a long time coming. The deal is expected to be signed by the governments of the US, Denmark and Greenland next week during the United Nations General Assembly, though it will still need parliamentary approval in Denmark and Greenland before it can take effect.

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. However, Denmark and the US already have a long-standing security arrangement that allows American forces to be deployed in Greenland, and it was not immediately clear how the new deal differed from that.

After Trump's announcement, the office of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the agreement would be signed next week. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen wrote 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 government leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen said he was happy about the deal, which he said "benefits not only our collective security, but also the continued development here in the country". Greenland Foreign Minister Mte B Egede said he was pleased that "we now have an agreement within reach". Speaking to Denmark's TV2 broadcaster, he said, "It has taken some time. I'm pleased that we finally have an end product within reach. And it's about time."

The US had 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 agreement have been made public. A US State Department official, who was not authorised to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, 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 to address Trump's security concerns about the territory, which has about 56,000 residents.

With the announcement of the pact, Trump can point to a foreign policy achievement ahead of the US midterm elections. After returning to the White House, he had called on Denmark to sell Greenland to the US and insisted the island was crucial for American security. He had also refused to 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. Russia and much of Europe had also strongly opposed the US push for 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, "The new agreement explicitly recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the Greenlandic people's right to self-determination." Overall, the deal was presented by Denmark and Greenland as a way to strengthen Arctic security while keeping Greenland under Danish sovereignty and preserving Greenlanders' right to decide their future.

With PTI Inputs

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