WorldPosted at: Sep 19 2026 2:15PM


US, Denmark and Greenland reach ‘permanent’ security deal, paving way for bigger US military presence

Washington, Sep 19 (UNI) US President Donald Trump said the United States has reached an agreement with Denmark and Greenland that would provide Washington a "permanent security control" in the strategically important Arctic territory, expand the US military presence there and bars non-NATO countries from establishing bases or maintaining troops on the island.
Trump announced the agreement on Friday, describing it as an “Infinite Life” arrangement and saying it would address Washington’s long-standing national security concerns over Greenland.
“The United States of America has entered into an Agreement with The Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland, that gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns. There will be NO COST to the United States!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
He said the agreement would also prevent US adversaries from establishing a military foothold or making sensitive investments in Greenland without Washington's approval.
“Additionally, from now on, no U.S. adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval,” Trump said.
Trump said the United States would “immediately begin” developing a larger military presence in Greenland and would work with the people of the semi-autonomous Danish territory on its development and construction.
“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,” Trump said, adding, “We will be very protective of it.”
The governments of the United States, Denmark and Greenland are expected to formally sign an agreement on strengthened security in the Arctic and North Atlantic next week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to the Danish prime minister's office.
The agreement will, however, require the necessary parliamentary procedures before it can enter into force. Its full text has not yet been released.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen welcomed the agreement, saying it would strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic while preserving Danish sovereignty and Greenland's right to self-determination.
“I am glad that we are about to make a great agreement for Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark, and the United States,” Frederiksen said.
She added that the agreement would strengthen common security in the region and would be “great for NATO and Europe as well.”
Importantly, she said the agreement “recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination.”
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also welcomed the emerging agreement.“It is encouraging that we are about to make an agreement that will ensure and strengthen the security of Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark, the United States, and the Western Alliance,” Nielsen said.
He said the agreement recognised “Greenland’s interests and our place in the international cooperation” and was “to the benefit of us all.”
Thus the agreement would provide Washington with permanent access, basing and overflight rights in Greenland and prevent non-NATO countries from establishing a military presence on the island.
Under this agreement, no non-NATO country may build a base in Greenland or maintain a troop presence in Greenland.
The agreement would also ensure that Greenland remains part of the strategic defence area of North America, according to US officials.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the agreement as a “historic deal” and a “huge win for the United States and the American people.”
“This deal permanently and completely addresses our national security concerns in Greenland,” Rubio said.
Despite Trump's description of the agreement as giving the United States “permanent control” over Greenland's security, the emerging pact does not transfer sovereignty over the territory to Washington.Denmark and Greenland have instead stressed that the agreement recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the Greenlandic people's right to self-determination.
The agreement follows months of tensions between Washington and Copenhagen after Trump repeatedly said the United States needed Greenland for national security reasons.
Trump has pointed to Greenland's strategic location between North America and Europe, its proximity to Arctic shipping routes and its mineral resources. He also repeatedly refused to rule out using military force to acquire the territory, triggering a diplomatic crisis with Denmark, a NATO ally.
The emerging agreement represents a shift from Trump's earlier demand for US ownership toward an arrangement focused on military access and security cooperation while leaving Greenland under Danish sovereignty.
The deal followed months of confidential discussions involving US, Danish and Greenlandic officials.
In January, after meetings involving Danish and Greenlandic officials, US Vice President JD Vance and Rubio, the three sides established a high-level working group to explore a common way forward.Trump later said at the World Economic Forum in Davos that a framework for a future agreement had been reached.The final arrangement appears to build on existing US military rights in Greenland. Under a 1951 US-Danish defence agreement, Washington already has broad rights to operate military installations on the island.
Greenland, the world's largest island, occupies a strategically important position between North America and Europe, with much of its territory inside the Arctic Circle.The United States maintains the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, its northernmost military installation. The base supports missile warning, missile defence and space surveillance missions.
The US military hasbeen mainitaining its presence in Greenland since World War II, when Washington established bases there amid concerns about Nazi Germany's presence in the North Atlantic. The 1951 defence agreement subsequently provided the legal framework for a broader US military presence.
Russia has expanded its military activity in the Arctic over recent decades, while China has increased its economic and strategic interest in the region. The agreement is expected to be signed next week during the UN General Assembly in New York. It will then have to pass the required parliamentary procedures in Denmark and Greenland before taking effect.UNI AAB
Tags: #US# Denmark and Greenland reach ‘permanent’ security deal# paving way for bigger US military presence
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