US and Denmark reach Greenland security deal

The United States, Denmark and Greenland have reached a security agreement aimed at expanding the U.S. military presence on the Arctic island, easing months of diplomatic tensions sparked by President Donald Trump's threats to take control of Greenland.

Trump said on Friday that the agreement would give the United States “Permanent Control” over Greenland’s security and allow Washington to take measures it considers necessary to defend the island and U.S. interests.

Danish and Greenlandic officials stressed that the agreement does not transfer sovereignty over Greenland to the United States.

They said it recognises Denmark’s territorial integrity and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination.

The deal is expected to be signed during next week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York, but still requires parliamentary approval in Denmark and Greenland.

The full text of the agreement has not been published, leaving uncertainty over the precise extent of the new U.S. military rights.

According to U.S. officials cited by Reuters, the arrangement would provide Washington with permanent access, basing and overflight rights, while preventing non-NATO countries from establishing military bases or making certain sensitive investments in Greenland.

The agreement could also remain in effect if Greenland eventually becomes independent from Denmark.

Trump has repeatedly argued that Greenland is strategically important to U.S. national security because of its location between North America and Europe, its proximity to Arctic shipping routes and its mineral resources.

The latest agreement builds on more than 75 years of U.S. military involvement on the island.

During World War Two, Denmark authorised the United States to defend Greenland against a possible German threat.

In 1946, Washington offered to buy Greenland from Denmark, but Copenhagen rejected the proposal.

The two countries subsequently signed the 1951 Defense of Greenland Agreement, giving the United States extensive rights to establish and operate defence facilities on the island.

The most prominent U.S. installation became Thule Air Base in northwestern Greenland, constructed during the early Cold War as part of the defence of North America and the North Atlantic.

The facility, now known as Pituffik Space Base, continues to support missile-warning, missile-defence and space-surveillance operations.

Greenland’s political status has also changed significantly since the 1950s.

It became self-governing under Danish home rule in 1979, followed by the Self-Government Act in 2009, which transferred additional powers to Greenland while Denmark retained responsibility for foreign affairs and defence.

The 2009 framework formally recognises the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination.

Trump’s renewed push for greater U.S. control intensified after his return to the White House, when he repeatedly said Washington needed Greenland for national security and refused to rule out using force to acquire it.

The new agreement stops short of transferring the territory to the United States, while seeking to strengthen Washington’s military access and prevent rival powers, particularly Russia and China, from establishing a strategic foothold there.

NATO has welcomed the agreement, saying it could strengthen security, stability and cooperation in the strategically important Arctic and North Atlantic regions.