The United States and Denmark have announced a deal focused on Greenland’s security, with the agreement scheduled to be signed at the United Nations General Assembly next week. The arrangement still requires approval through Denmark’s parliamentary procedures before it can take effect.
US President Donald Trump said the deal would give the United States “permanent control over security, and all other needs” in Greenland. In a post on Truth Social, he also said Washington would be able to do what is necessary to secure and defend the territory, and claimed the agreement would prevent US adversaries from maintaining a military presence or making sensitive investments there without written American approval.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen did not provide details on the provisions Trump cited. She said the agreement would strengthen shared security in the Arctic and North Atlantic while recognizing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, as well as the right of Greenland’s people to self-determination.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, chairman of Greenland’s government, said the agreement would strengthen the security of Greenland, Denmark and the United States. He said it recognized Greenland’s interests and its place in international co-operation, describing it as beneficial to all parties.
The announcement follows months of threats by Trump to purchase or annex Greenland, including references to possible military action. He has cited the territory’s strategic location and mineral resources, while also linking it to plans for a “Golden Dome” defence system intended to protect the United States from missile attacks by Russia and China. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the agreement historic and said it addressed Washington’s national security concerns.
No text has been published, leaving its relationship with a 1951 agreement unclear. Under that earlier arrangement, the United States can send troops to Greenland, where it already maintains more than 100 personnel at the Pituffik base. The territory also has largely untapped rare-earth mineral reserves used in technologies including mobile phones and electric vehicles.