Denmark has backed a new security agreement with the United States that would give Washington a permanent role in securing Greenland, while maintaining that the Arctic territory’s sovereignty remains intact.
US President Donald Trump announced the agreement on Friday, saying it would give the United States permanent control over Greenland’s security and allow Washington to take measures it considers necessary to protect the territory and US interests.
The agreement is expected to expand the US military presence in Greenland and prevent countries such as Russia and China from establishing military bases or making sensitive investments on the island without US approval. However, key details of the agreement have not yet been made public.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said the proposed agreement could end a period of uncertainty and strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic.
“A long period of uncertainty will hopefully be replaced by a binding agreement that strengthens security in the Arctic and North Atlantic,” Rasmussen said.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen also stressed that the arrangement recognises Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination. Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen similarly said the agreement would strengthen the territory’s security.
The deal is expected to be signed during the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week, although it still requires approval from the Danish and Greenlandic governments before it can take effect.
The announcement follows months of tension between Washington and Copenhagen after Trump repeatedly argued that Greenland was strategically important to US security and previously refused to rule out using force to take control of the territory.
The United States already operates the Pituffik Space Base in northern Greenland under an existing defence agreement with Denmark. The new arrangement could allow Washington to increase its military presence on the island.
Greenland’s strategic location in the Arctic has made it increasingly important to the United States, particularly as competition involving Russia and China grows in the region.
While Trump described the agreement as giving the US permanent security control, Denmark and Greenland have not indicated that they are transferring sovereignty to Washington. The exact scope of the new US powers therefore remains subject to further clarification.
