Denmark has described a new security agreement with the United States covering Greenland as a “good agreement” for the parties involved, including NATO, as Copenhagen and Washington seek to strengthen defence and security cooperation in the strategically important Arctic territory.
The agreement was signed today by Denmark, Greenland and the United States, with Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen saying that the arrangement strengthens their shared security interests while respecting Greenland’s political status and the rights of its people.
“We have signed a good agreement. For Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States. And for NATO and Europe. The agreement strengthens our common defence and security.”
Mette Frederiksen
She stated that the agreement was “deeply rooted in the NATO Alliance” and respected both Denmark’s sovereignty and the Greenlandic people’s “right to self-determination.”
Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen also welcomed the agreement, agreeing with Frederiksen that it recognises Greenland’s status as a people with the right to determine its own future.
The deal marks a notable shift in the tone surrounding US-Greenland relations after months of tension over President Donald Trump’s repeated statements about the strategic island.
Trump had previously threatened to pursue US control of Greenland, including through the possible use of military force, prompting strong opposition from Danish and Greenlandic officials.
During today’s signing ceremony, however, Trump adopted a considerably warmer tone as he appeared alongside Frederiksen and Nielsen to formalise the trilateral security arrangement. “This has been an amazing journey with tremendous people, and two of them are at my left, and I very much appreciate it,” Trump said at the podium, referring to the Danish and Greenlandic leaders beside him. “We just did that,” he added, saying the three sides were “going to have a tremendous relationship, a secure relationship, and we look forward to it.”
Trump portrayed the agreement as the culmination of an objective that successive US administrations had discussed without reaching an arrangement.
“So this is tremendous for Europe and for the United States and for everybody and for Greenland. It’s going to be incredible.”
Donald Trump
The agreement places Greenland’s security within a wider framework of cooperation involving Denmark, the United States and NATO, reflecting the territory’s strategic significance in the Arctic and North Atlantic.
Trump has argued that a stronger US presence in Greenland would contribute to the defence of North America and Europe while strengthening NATO’s ability to respond to security challenges in the region.
The agreement also comes as Arctic security has gained greater attention amid competition over the region’s strategic position and growing interest in its resources and shipping routes.
Trump Plans Larger US Military Presence in Greenland
Earlier in his address to the UN General Assembly, Trump said the United States would “immediately begin the process of developing a large military presence” in Greenland, including “two very major military bases.”
Trump said that the move was linked to the new security arrangement reached with Denmark and Greenland, which he claimed gives the United States “permanent control” over the island’s security.
“We will have the complete ability to do what is necessary to defend the American continent and also Europe and other places.”
Donald Trump
He also said that the agreement would restrict the establishment of military facilities or sensitive investments by US adversaries in Greenland without Washington’s approval. “No US adversary will ever be permitted to establish a military presence in Greenland anymore, or make sensitive investments there without our express written approval,” Trump said.
He argued that expanding the US footprint in the Arctic and North Atlantic would benefit both the United States and Europe.
“By expanding America’s footprint in the Arctic and North Atlantic, this deal also protects Europe, in addition to America, and greatly protects them. It also very much enhances NATO.”
Donald Trump
The comments underline the strategic importance Washington attaches to Greenland, while the agreement signed with Denmark and Greenland provides a framework for closer security cooperation involving the island.
For Denmark and Greenland, the agreement represents an attempt to strengthen defence cooperation while maintaining their stated emphasis on sovereignty and Greenland’s right to self-determination.
