Greenland backs expanded US military access as opposition questions gains

Greenland’s parliament has ratified a trilateral security agreement with the United States and Denmark, clearing a key stage in a deal that would expand the US military presence on the strategically located Arctic island. The agreement was approved in Nuuk on Tuesday by 16 lawmakers, with none voting against and seven abstaining, according to the South China Morning Post. The accord would allow two new US military bases and deployment of President Donald Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” missile-defence system.

At the same time, it reaffirms Danish sovereignty over Greenland and recognises Greenlanders’ right to self-determination, the reports said. The agreement emerged after months of tension over Trump’s repeated demands that the United States take control of Greenland. The island is self-governing but remains part of the Danish realm.

Trump had cited US security interests and argued that Denmark was not doing enough to protect the territory from unspecified threats posed by China and Russia. The United States, Denmark and Greenland signed the agreement in September on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Its ratification has eased pressure generated by Trump’s earlier threats, which included the possible use of military force and tariffs against European allies, DW reported.

Greenlandic Foreign Minister Mute Egede welcomed the parliamentary decision shortly before the vote. “We must accept that peace and stability are no longer something we can take for granted,” Egede told lawmakers, describing ratification as an important step, according to both DW and the South China Morning Post. The agreement is not yet in force.

Denmark’s parliament must still ratify it, with a first reading scheduled for November 11 and a vote following a second reading on November 19. The South China Morning Post reported that US Senate approval is not required because the arrangement is an executive agreement. Support was not unanimous in political terms, even though no lawmaker voted against the measure.

Pele Broberg, chair of Naleraq, the leading pro-independence party, questioned what Greenland would receive in return. “We are looking for a better agreement that we can benefit from when we become an independent state. But no economic benefit has been gained from the agreement,” Broberg said.

Greenland had already signalled majority support during an initial debate the previous month. The final vote therefore confirmed the direction of travel rather than producing an unexpected reversal, although the seven abstentions and Naleraq’s criticism showed reservations about the deal’s value. The military arrangements build on an existing US position.

Under a 1951 agreement, Washington already has considerable freedom of military action in Greenland. After reducing its presence over several years, the United States currently maintains the Pituffik Space Base in the northwest, which is used for missile defence and radar surveillance. Denmark had said it was willing to discuss a larger US military footprint while rejecting Trump’s demand that Greenland become US territory.

Critics cited by DW argued that expanded defence access could have been negotiated without the disruption caused by the territorial and tariff threats. The next decisive step is now Copenhagen’s ratification.