Donald Trump announced on Friday that the United States has reached an Arctic security agreement with leaders from Denmark and Greenland. The news was posted on Truth Social, with the agreement described as 'very important, historic and special'.
According to statements from Danish and Greenlandic leaders, the agreement is to be signed by the three governments on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week. Trump stated that the agreement 'gives the United States permanent control over security and all other needs in Greenland'. He added that the US 'will immediately begin the process of developing a large military presence in the relevant part of Greenland'.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and the head of the Greenlandic government, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, published their statements online on Friday evening. In them, they stressed that the agreement is far from Trump's previously expressed desire for 'the acquisition of Greenland by the United States'. Frederiksen stated that the agreement 'recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination'. Nielsen stated that he was 'pleased' that the agreement 'secures and strengthens the security of Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark, the United States and the Western alliance'.
Statements from Denmark and Greenland indicate that, once agreed, the agreement must undergo parliamentary procedures to enter into force. The agreement would allow the US to expand its military presence, while Denmark and Greenland claim that it preserves their sovereignty and right to self-determination.
Trump has, during his term, frequently threatened to annex the autonomous territory. Earlier in the term, he stated that the US needed control over Greenland for 'economic security', describing ownership and control of the territory as 'an absolute necessity'. During his first term, in 2019, he confirmed reports that he had asked assistants to investigate how the US could purchase Greenland, describing any sale as 'essentially a real estate deal'. The Danish government has stated on several occasions that Greenland is 'not for sale'.
At the NATO summit earlier this year, Trump renewed his demand that the US acquire Greenland. He threatened to withdraw all US armed forces from Europe after the continent had rebuffed him on several occasions. The US already has a presence on the island and the right to expand bases through NATO. The US military has long been present in Greenland, in the self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark and NATO member, with a base in Pituffik since the Cold War.
Greenland is strategically located between the US and Russia. Last year, Vice President JD Vance and his wife Usha were met with a cold reception when they visited US soldiers stationed at the space base in Pituffik. Greenland has a population of approximately 56,000.
Trump stated in a post that the agreement means 'no American adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, a military presence in Greenland, or conduct sensitive investments in Greenland without our explicit written approval'. The post comes just weeks before the November elections. Katie Miller, a former White House advisor, posted an image of Greenland covered in the American flag with the caption: 'IT'S [sic] HAPPENING'.
