Denmark Backs Trump Deal on ‘Permanent Control’ of Greenland Security

Denmark and Greenland have welcomed a new security agreement announced by United States President Donald Trump, which would give Washington a permanent role in Greenland’s security while preserving the territory’s sovereignty.

The agreement, reached by the United States, Denmark and Greenland, is expected to be signed during the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week. Its precise terms have not yet been publicly disclosed.

Trump said the agreement would give the United States permanent control over security and other security-related needs in Greenland. He also said countries considered US adversaries would not be allowed to establish military bases or make sensitive investments on the island without American approval.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said the agreement could replace a period of uncertainty with a binding arrangement designed to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic.

He stressed that the deal respected Denmark’s red lines.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the agreement recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, as well as the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also welcomed the proposed agreement, saying it strengthens security while recognising Greenland’s political status and right to determine its future.

The United States has maintained a military presence in Greenland for decades, including the Pituffik Space Base in the northwest. The new agreement could allow Washington to expand its military presence and strengthen its strategic position in the Arctic.

US officials said the arrangement would prevent Russia, China and other non-NATO countries from establishing military bases or making certain sensitive investments in Greenland.

The agreement follows months of diplomatic tension after Trump repeatedly argued that Greenland was strategically important to US national security and previously refused to rule out using force to acquire the territory.

Those comments created concern in Denmark and Greenland and generated tensions within NATO.

The new arrangement is intended to strengthen Arctic and North Atlantic security while maintaining Greenland within the Kingdom of Denmark.

However, important details remain unclear, including the extent of any expanded US military presence and the precise authority Washington would exercise under the agreement.

Denmark and Greenland have continued to emphasise that Greenland is not being transferred to the United States.

The agreement is also expected to remain relevant to broader Arctic security discussions, particularly as NATO members seek to respond to growing strategic competition in the region.

Its formal signing and implementation will provide further details about how the new security framework will operate.