After months of friction over the occupation or acquisition of Greenland, the United States and Denmark have announced that they have reached an agreement on the island’s security. US President Donald Trump has claimed that the agreement gives the United States permanent control over Greenland’s security and other necessary matters. Denmark and Greenland, however, have said the agreement recognises their sovereignty and their right to self-determination.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the agreement gives the United States the permanent ability to take all steps necessary to ensure Greenland’s security and defence. He also claimed that no rival country would be able to establish a military base or maintain a military presence in Greenland, and that American approval would be required for investment in sensitive sectors.
Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said the agreement is due to be signed next week during the United Nations General Assembly session in New York. Before it takes effect, however, Denmark and Greenland must complete the necessary parliamentary procedures. Frederiksen said the agreement will strengthen joint security in the Arctic and North Atlantic while recognising the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the right of Greenland’s people to self-determination.
Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, has also welcomed the agreement. In his view it will strengthen Greenland’s security and recognise the island’s interests and standing in international cooperation.
What is in the agreement
The full written text of the agreement has not yet been made public. According to the information released, one of its most significant aspects is the scope for further expanding the American military presence and activity in Greenland. Reports say the framework of the agreement includes securing military bases, access and air transit rights for the United States on a more permanent footing.
Arrangements have also emerged under which the agreement would remain in force even if Greenland became independent from Denmark in future. In other words, the aim is to continue American security and military rights even if the island’s political future changes.
Another important aspect is that no country outside NATO would be allowed to establish a military base or maintain a military presence in Greenland. Measures have reportedly also been included to limit investment by rival countries in sectors considered sensitive to US national security. This provision is significant above all with countries such as Russia and China in mind.
The scope of American power as Trump has described it, however, is presented in comparatively careful language by Denmark and Greenland. According to the information released, the agreement does not establish US sovereignty over Greenland, and political control of the island remains with Denmark.
Why Trump is so interested in Greenland
Greenland has long been at the centre of American strategic interest. Its geographical position in the Arctic, its strategic importance between North America and Europe, and its vast mineral resources all make the island important to US national security in the Trump administration’s view.
There is particular American concern about the growing influence of Russia and China. Greenland also holds large reserves of rare minerals, many of which have not yet been extracted commercially. Those minerals matter in making mobile phones, electric cars and other modern technology.
It is this strategic and economic importance that has led Trump to talk for a long time of bringing Greenland under American control. He has even raised the possibility of military action to take the island. Those remarks had caused deep concern in Denmark and among other NATO allies.
The link to the 1951 treaty
The American military presence in Greenland is not new. A defence treaty concluded between Denmark and the United States in 1951 created the scope for a US military presence there. The United States currently maintains a military presence at Pituffik Space Base in north-western Greenland.
How much the new agreement changes that older framework will not be clear until the full document is published. Reports say the new arrangement does create scope for increasing the American military presence further.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called the agreement historic, saying it permanently resolves long-standing American national security concerns over Greenland. Danish and Greenlandic leaders, for their part, have stressed that their sovereignty and right to self-determination will remain intact under it.
The agreement will take effect only once it has been formally signed and received the necessary parliamentary approval. Its specific terms and the true extent of American power will therefore have to wait on the publication of the final document.