COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Sep 19 – Denmark and Greenland reacted cautiously but positively Saturday to President Donald Trump’s announcement of a new security agreement that would expand the U.S. military presence in Greenland while leaving the Arctic territory under Danish sovereignty.
The agreement, whose full terms have not yet been made public, follows months of tension between Washington and Copenhagen after Trump repeatedly argued that the United States needed greater control over Greenland for national security reasons. His earlier comments, including refusing to rule out the use of force to acquire the island, had alarmed Denmark and other European allies.
The latest arrangement represents a significant change in tone. Rather than transferring Greenland to the United States, the emerging agreement is expected to establish broader U.S. security and military rights on the island while maintaining its status within the Kingdom of Denmark.
Trump said Friday that the agreement would give the United States “permanent control over security, and all other needs” in Greenland, describing it as a way to address U.S. concerns about the strategically located territory.
Danish and Greenlandic officials, however, have emphasized that the agreement does not change sovereignty. Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the arrangement recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination.
The United States, Denmark and Greenland had spent months conducting quiet negotiations aimed at finding a way to address Washington’s concerns about Arctic security without changing ownership of the island, which has a population of about 56,000.
For Copenhagen, the announcement offers a possible diplomatic path out of a dispute that had strained relations with Washington and raised questions about the future of security cooperation between two NATO allies.
Agreement expected to be signed at United Nations
The office of Frederiksen said the agreement is expected to be signed next week during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. It will still require parliamentary action in Denmark and Greenland before it can take effect.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen described the expected agreement as a potential turning point after months of uncertainty.
“Next week could be a good week … for Greenland, Denmark, and the United States alike,” Rasmussen wrote Saturday on Instagram.
He said a binding agreement could replace the uncertainty of recent months and strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic, while also contributing to security within NATO and Europe.
Greenland’s government leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also welcomed the announcement. He said the arrangement would benefit Greenland’s collective security as well as the territory’s continued development.
Greenland’s Foreign Minister Múte B. Egede told Danish broadcaster TV2 that he was pleased an agreement had finally come within reach.
The response from NATO was also positive. Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chair of the NATO Military Committee, said in Copenhagen that the agreement was “very, very welcome.” A NATO spokesperson separately said the arrangement would help advance security, stability and cooperation in the Arctic region.
The precise structure of the deal remains unclear. Denmark and Greenland have not publicly confirmed all of the details described by Trump or U.S. officials.
A U.S. State Department official, speaking anonymously because the person was not authorized to comment publicly, said the agreement would prevent non-NATO countries from establishing military bases in Greenland. The official also said the arrangement would restrict investments by U.S. adversaries and ensure that countries such as China and Russia could not establish military bases on the island.
Those details have not been fully released in the public text of the agreement, making it difficult to determine exactly how the new arrangement would differ from existing U.S.-Danish security agreements.
The United States already has longstanding military rights in Greenland. Washington and Copenhagen signed the Defense of Greenland Treaty in 1951, allowing the U.S. military to establish and operate facilities on the island.
The most important remaining U.S. installation is Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland. The facility supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance missions for the United States and NATO.
Trump said the new agreement would allow the United States to begin developing a larger military presence on the island immediately. The territory’s location between North America and Europe gives it considerable strategic importance as the Arctic becomes increasingly important for military operations, transportation and competition among major powers.
Deal follows months of tensions over Greenland
Trump’s interest in Greenland has been one of the most contentious issues between Washington and Copenhagen since he returned to the White House.
The president had previously called for Denmark to sell Greenland to the United States, arguing that control of the territory was necessary to protect American national security. He also declined to exclude military force as a possible way of obtaining the island.
Danish and Greenlandic leaders repeatedly rejected the idea that Greenland could be sold. They also pushed back against reports of U.S. intelligence activity on the island.
The new agreement appears to address at least some of Washington’s security demands without fulfilling Trump’s earlier calls for American ownership of Greenland.
That distinction is important for Denmark and Greenland. The agreement is being presented as a security arrangement rather than a transfer of territory.
Greenland has extensive self-government but remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Its leaders have repeatedly stressed the territory’s right to determine its own future.
The negotiations also come as Arctic security has become a growing concern for NATO countries. Russia’s military presence in the wider Arctic and China’s growing economic interest in the region have contributed to increasing attention from the United States and European governments.
For Greenland, the issue is also closely connected to economic development. The territory possesses substantial mineral resources, while its position in the Arctic gives it strategic importance for military and commercial activity.
Orla Joelsen, a Greenlandic grassroots activist supporting greater sovereignty for the island, said on X that the agreement represented a victory for those who opposed Trump’s efforts to take control of Greenland.
Joelsen said the agreement recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination.
In Denmark, the announcement appeared to bring some relief after months of uncertainty.
Michael Burgaard, a telecommunications worker from Gentofte north of Copenhagen, said he hoped the dispute was coming to an end. He recalled seeing a map posted by Trump that appeared to show Greenland as part of the United States and said there had been concern that the dispute could eventually turn into a confrontation.
Burgaard, 56, said reaching an agreement through diplomacy was preferable to the possibility of military action.
Michael Frees, a 51-year-old high school teacher in Copenhagen, described the emerging agreement as a practical solution under the circumstances. He said Denmark is a small country and must cooperate with larger nations as well as with the European Union.
Despite the positive reactions, significant questions remain unanswered until the agreement is formally released and approved.
Among them is the extent of the future U.S. military presence, the rights granted to American forces, restrictions on foreign investment and how the arrangement would operate alongside Denmark’s existing defense commitments.
The coming parliamentary process in Copenhagen and Nuuk will therefore be closely watched.
For now, Danish and Greenlandic officials appear to see the agreement as a way to strengthen Arctic security while preserving sovereignty. The United States, meanwhile, is presenting the deal as a major expansion of its ability to protect its interests in Greenland.
The agreement is expected to move from announcement to formal signing during the United Nations General Assembly next week, where its final language could provide a clearer picture of how the United States, Denmark and Greenland intend to manage security on the strategically important Arctic island.