US President Donald Trump has announced an agreement with Denmark and Greenland that he said would give the United States permanent control over security and other strategic needs on the Arctic island.
Trump made the announcement in a statement on Friday, September 18, claiming the agreement would give Washington the ability to take whatever measures it considers necessary to secure and defend Greenland and the United States.
The announcement comes after months of tensions over Trump’s longstanding push for greater US control of Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
Trump said the agreement would prevent any US adversary from establishing a military base or presence in Greenland, or making sensitive investments there, without US approval. He also announced plans for a significant expansion of the American military presence on the island.
“We will immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland,” Trump said, adding that the US would work with Greenland’s people on its development and construction.
According to US officials, the emerging agreement would guarantee American access and overflight rights and allow Washington to expand its military footprint. It would also restrict non-NATO military bases and sensitive investments by countries regarded as US adversaries.
However, the agreement does not amount to a transfer of sovereignty over Greenland to the United States. Danish and Greenlandic authorities said the pact recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, as well as the right of Greenland’s people to self-determination.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the agreement would strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic while recognising Greenland’s status and its people’s right to self-determination.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also welcomed the agreement, saying it recognises Greenland’s interests and its place in international cooperation.
The pact is expected to be signed next week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. It will, however, still have to undergo the necessary parliamentary procedures in Denmark and Greenland before taking effect.
Trump described the arrangement as an “Infinite Life” agreement, saying it would have no end and would permanently address what he described as longstanding US security concerns over Greenland.
He said successive American presidents had recognised Greenland’s strategic importance but had been unable to secure a comparable arrangement.
“I’m proud to be the President that permanently and conclusively addressed this very important situation,” Trump said.
The United States already maintains a military presence in Greenland, including the Pituffik Space Base, and has longstanding defence arrangements with Denmark covering the island. The new agreement is expected to expand Washington’s ability to operate there while keeping Greenland under Danish and Greenlandic sovereignty.
Trump said the arrangement would benefit the United States, Denmark, Greenland and their allies, describing Greenland as a “large, and highly strategic” territory that Washington would protect.
