Trump says US has struck security agreement with Denmark over Greenland

President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. has struck an agreement with Denmark that gives the U.S. “permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns.” 

“At my direction, we worked with representatives of Denmark and Greenland to guarantee that the United States will FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the security of Greenland, and the United States of America,” Trump said in a social media post.

The announcement comes after months of escalating rhetoric from the president, who has repeatedly threatened to take over the territory citing national security purposes. Trump’s threats, including refusing to rule out taking the territory by military force, sowed tension between the U.S. and its European allies and sparked consternation from Greenlanders.

What’s in the agreement?

The deal announced Friday appears to fall short of the “Complete and Total Control” by the U.S. that Trump once called for, but it does give the U.S. the ability to expand its military footprint on Greenland.

A State Department official said the agreement “explicitly guarantees the United States the complete ability to do what it deems is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the American continent, including permanent access, basing, and overflight rights,” indicating it advances the already sweeping rights granted to the U.S. to build and maintain military bases in Greenland by an existing Defense of Greenland agreement signed in 1951.

In his social media post, Trump said that as part of this agreement, “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.”

Under the agreement, the State Department official said, “only the U.S. and our allies can make sensitive investments in Greenland, eliminating the previous status quo in which adversaries have been investing in Greenland’s sensitive sectors without investment screening.”

Despite U.S. concern, neither China nor Russia currently have significant active investments or military presences in Greenland, and prior attempts to enter sensitive sectors have been blocked. 

The official also emphasized the permanence of the deal, saying it would remain fully in effect “even if Greenland becomes a fully independent country.” 

What Denmark and Greenland are saying

Following Trump’s announcement, the government of Greenland and the Danish prime minister issued a joint statement saying that Greenland, Denmark, and the U.S., “expect to sign an agreement next week that strengthens security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic region.”

The statement did not provide specifics about the agreement but said it was expected to be signed at the U.N. General Assembly next week and would then need to go through “necessary parliamentary procedures to enter into force.”

In a statement, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, said: “I am pleased that there is a prospect of a good agreement for Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States. An agreement that strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic area and is thus also good for NATO and Europe. And an agreement that at the same time recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination.”

On Saturday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in a post to Instagram, “Next week should be a good week … For both Greenland, Denmark and the USA.”

“How long-term uncertainty will hopefully be replaced by a binding agreement that strengthens security in the Arctic and North Atlantic and thus also our common security in NATO and Europe — with respect to the Kingdom’s red lines,” he added. “This is important at a time when the security policy situation in the Arctic has changed.”

What happens next?

In his social media post, Trump said the U.S. will immediately begin the “process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland, of which there are many.”

It is not yet clear whether the president’s announcement will amend or supplement the 1951 pact, which extends as long as the North Atlantic Treaty remains in effect but explicitly recognizes Danish sovereignty over Greenland. 

The direct inclusion of Greenland in the agreement appears to be a move to ensure that military guarantees for the U.S. remain even if Greenland breaks from Denmark.

A high-level working group has been evaluating the 1951 framework since January. A speculative amendment to the agreement would make Greenland itself a party to it, but it’s not clear whether that would be legally feasible. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the deal, calling it a “historic deal” and “a huge win for the United States and the American people.” 

“Thanks to President Trump’s vision and leadership, this historic agreement permanently guarantees U.S. security interests in the Arctic at zero cost to the U.S. taxpayer,” he said. “Greenland will forever be part of the strategic defense area of North America and exclude any adversary from it and the surrounding area. This deal permanently and completely addresses our national security concerns in Greenland.” 

Greenland has strategic significance for the U.S. In addition to its valuable minerals and massive oil and gas reserves. It is home to the U.S. Pituffik Space Base, the Defense Department’s northernmost base, where about 150 American troops are stationed and which serves as a first line of defense against a missile attack over the Arctic.

Trump has said the Arctic island is vital to his “Golden Dome” anti-missile concept, has argued the current U.S. presence there is insufficient to defend Greenland should Russia or China try to take it over. He asserts that neither Greenland nor the Europeans are capable of protecting it — and that only the U.S can keep it from Russian or Chinese encroachment.