Trump Announces Greenland Deal to Expand US Military Presence

President Donald Trump announced on Friday that his administration has reached an agreement with Denmark to expand the American military footprint in Greenland, following months in which he had refused to rule out seizing the Arctic territory from the NATO ally by force.

In a post on social media, Trump said the arrangement grants the United States "permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland," adding that it addresses "ALL of our many U.S. concerns." He said his administration would begin work "immediately" on developing a larger military presence on the mineral-rich island.

The office of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the deal is to be signed by all three governments next week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Parliamentary approval in both Denmark and Greenland would still be required before it takes effect.

Greenland's Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, described the emerging agreement as beneficial to all three governments, saying it "recognizes Greenland's interests and our place in the international cooperation."

According to a State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to comment publicly, the pact bars any non-NATO base in Greenland, restricts adversaries from making investments there, and guarantees that neither China nor Russia can establish a base on the island. Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the announcement, calling it a "historic deal" and a "huge win" for the United States.

Since returning to the White House last year, Trump had pressed Denmark to sell Greenland, arguing the island is vital to American security. He declined to take military action off the table, even though Denmark is a NATO member. Denmark and Greenland repeatedly rejected any sale and condemned reports that the US was gathering intelligence on the island. The American push also drew strong opposition from Russia and much of Europe.

Trump has said the US needs Greenland to counter threats from Russia and China, and has repeatedly made claims of Chinese and Russian military forces operating off its coastline.

The United States has maintained a military presence in Greenland for decades, holding several bases and installations during the Cold War before scaling back. It still operates the remote Pituffik Space Base in the northwest, built after the two countries signed the Defense of Greenland Treaty in 1951, which supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance for the US and NATO.

Lying off Canada's northeastern coast, with more than two-thirds of its territory inside the Arctic Circle, Greenland has been central to North American defense since World War II, when the US occupied it to prevent it from falling to Nazi Germany and to protect vital North Atlantic shipping lanes.