Denmark has said its sovereignty over Greenland will remain intact under a proposed deal with the Trump administration that would allow the United States to significantly expand its military presence on the Arctic island.
The United States, Denmark and Greenland said on Friday that they had reached an agreement in principle to expand the US military footprint in the self-governing Danish territory, while preventing American adversaries from establishing military bases there.
However, key details of the proposed agreement have yet to be made public, including the scale of the planned US military buildup and whether Washington would receive any formal authority over Greenland’s foreign policy or natural resources.
Denmark and Greenland said they hoped the deal, which is expected to be signed during the United Nations General Assembly next week, would help end months of uncertainty following US President Donald Trump’s threats to take control of Greenland.
Trump said on Truth Social on Friday that the agreement would give the United States the ability to take whatever action it deemed necessary to secure and defend Greenland and the US.
Danish and Greenlandic leaders have sought to reassure their populations that the proposed agreement would respect Greenland’s right to self-determination and the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark.
“A time of uncertainty will hopefully give way to a binding agreement that strengthens security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Saturday, adding that it would strengthen shared security within NATO and Europe while respecting Denmark’s “red lines”.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the proposed deal recognised the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom, as well as the right of Greenland’s people to self-determination.
Under Trump’s description of the agreement, the United States would have permanent control over security and other defence-related needs in Greenland. He also said no adversary would be allowed to establish a military presence or base, or make sensitive investments there, without Washington’s express written approval.
However, Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, a political science professor at the University of Copenhagen, said the deal may not mark the end of US strategic ambitions in Greenland, particularly regarding the territory’s resources.
He said any decision by Copenhagen to transfer formal authority to Washington could raise questions in Greenland about whether its relationship with Denmark was being replaced by a similar relationship with the United States.
Trump’s threats, which peaked in January, triggered a diplomatic crisis that strained relations within NATO and prompted Denmark and Greenland to enter negotiations aimed at easing tensions.
A NATO spokesperson on Saturday welcomed the agreement, saying it would help advance security, stability and cooperation in the strategically important Arctic region.
Despite the proposed deal, some Greenland residents remain sceptical about closer ties with Washington.
“Trump should stay far, far, far away from Greenland,” 71-year-old retired chef Marianne Hansen told Reuters in Nuuk. “He should not expect our children and grandchildren to become Americans in the future.”
