Denmark Says Greenland Sovereignty Intact as US Military Deal Nears Signing

Denmark has moved to reassure its public that its sovereignty over Greenland will remain intact under an emerging agreement with the Trump administration that would allow a substantial expansion of the American military presence on the Arctic island.

The United States, Denmark and Greenland announced on Friday that they had reached an understanding permitting a larger US military footprint in the self-governed Danish territory, while barring US adversaries from setting up bases there.

Crucial particulars — including the size of the planned buildup and whether Washington would gain any formal authority over foreign policy or resources — have not been disclosed.

Danish and Greenlandic leaders voiced hope that the deal, expected to be signed during the UN General Assembly next week, would close months of uncertainty set off by President Donald Trump's threats to take control of the territory.

Writing on Truth Social on Friday, Trump said that under the arrangement "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." He added that the deal gives Washington permanent control over security and other needs in Greenland, and that no adversary would be allowed a base, military presence or sensitive investments there without explicit US written approval.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Saturday that a period of uncertainty would hopefully give way to a binding agreement strengthening security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic, and thereby shared security within NATO and Europe, while respecting the Danish Kingdom's red lines.

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the proposed deal recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination.

Trump's threats, which peaked in January, triggered a diplomatic crisis that strained relations within NATO and pushed Denmark and Greenland into negotiations aimed at easing the pressure.

A NATO spokesperson said on Saturday that the alliance welcomed the agreement, saying it would help advance security, stability and cooperation in a vital region.

Not everyone in Greenland is convinced. In the capital Nuuk, Marianne Hansen, a 71-year-old retired chef, said Trump should stay far away from Greenland and should not expect future generations of Greenlanders to become Americans.

Analysts cautioned that the deal may not mark the end of US strategic interest in the island and its resources. Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, a political science professor at the University of Copenhagen, said that if Copenhagen cedes any formal authority to Washington, it raises the question in Greenland of whether a colonial relationship with Denmark is being replaced by one with the United States.