Trump, Denmark seal Greenland security deal while preserving sovereignty

The United States, Denmark and Greenland have agreed to expand the American military role on the Arctic island. The deal preserves Greenland's sovereignty but still needs parliamentary approval amid lingering European unease.Image used for representational purposes onlyUS President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States has reached a deal with Denmark to strengthen the American military presence in Greenland, ending months of tension over his repeated calls to acquire the Arctic island. The agreement leaves Greenland under Denmark's sovereignty while giving the US what Trump described as a larger security role.Denmark said the agreement will be signed by the governments of the US, Denmark and Greenland next week during the United Nations General Assembly, although it will still need parliamentary approval in Denmark and Greenland before it can take effect. Danish and Greenlandic leaders said the deal protects sovereignty and self-determination, while the US presented it as a major national security gain.In a social media post, Trump said the agreement "gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many US concerns." He added that his administration would "immediately" begin the process of developing a larger military presence on the mineral-rich Danish territory.Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's office said in a statement that the agreement "recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Greenland and Denmark and upholds both peoples' right "to self-determination." Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the emerging deal benefits all three governments and "recognises Greenland's interests and our place in the international cooperation." Since returning to the White House last year, Trump had pressed Denmark to sell Greenland to the US, arguing that the island is vital to American security. He had also refused to rule out taking it by military force, even though Denmark is a NATO ally. Denmark and Greenland repeatedly said the island was not for sale and criticised reports that the US was gathering intelligence there. Russia and much of Europe also strongly opposed the US push.After announcing the agreement, Trump suggested the dispute may now be settled. "We look forward to working with the wonderful people of Denmark and Greenland toward a magnificent future with respect to this large, and highly strategic, parcel of land," he said. "We will be very protective of it!" Trump had argued that the US needs Greenland to deter threats from Russia and China, and has repeatedly made false claims about Chinese and Russian military forces off the island's coastline. According to a US State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly, the agreement bars any non-NATO base in Greenland, limits the ability of adversaries to invest there, and guarantees that China and Russia cannot have a base on the island. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it a "historic deal" and a "huge win" for the US. "Greenland will forever be part of the strategic defence area of North America and exclude any adversary from it and the surrounding area," Rubio said. "This deal permanently and completely addresses our national security concerns in Greenland."The US has long maintained a military presence in Greenland. During the Cold War, it operated several bases and installations there before scaling them back. It still runs the Pituffik Space Base in north-western Greenland, built after the 1951 Defence of Greenland Treaty between the US and Denmark. The base supports missile warning, missile defence and space surveillance operations for the US and NATO.Greenland lies off Canada's north-eastern coast, with more than two-thirds of its territory inside the Arctic Circle, making it important to North American defence. During World War II, the US occupied Greenland to prevent it from falling into Nazi Germany's hands and to protect key North Atlantic shipping routes. Danish officials had said throughout the dispute that they were willing to work with Washington to expand the American military presence and strengthen US commercial interests in Greenland.Trump's repeated demands and threats had unsettled the NATO alliance and European partners. Imran Bayoumi, associate director at the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, said, "I think Americans really underestimate how damaging it was for the image of the United States in Europe." He added, "I think Greenlanders, Danes, Europeans saw this as a real attack on their sovereignty, and it's going to take a lot of work to repair." The new deal now sets out a framework that keeps Greenland with Denmark while expanding the US security role on the strategically important island.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 19, 2026 05:16 IST