US, Denmark reach ‘binding’ security deal on Greenland

WASHINGTON – The United States, Denmark and Greenland have entered into an agreement that will see the US develop a significant military presence on the island, while prohibiting its adversaries from building their own bases there, US President Donald Trump said on Sept 18.

In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that America’s enemies would not be able to make sensitive investments on the island without US approval, and that the agreement had no expiry date.

“At my direction, we worked with representatives of Denmark and Greenland to guarantee that 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 wrote.

“Additionally, from now on, no US adversary can ever have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval.”

Earlier on Sept 18, Reuters exclusively reported that the US and Greenland were closing in on a deal for the island that would result in an increased US military presence, but would stop well short of Trump’s long-held dream of acquiring the island for the US.

The US already has nearly total overflight and basing rights in Greenland due to a 1951 treaty.

Trump’s announcement suggests that he was nonetheless pleased with the outcome of the negotiations, and that he may not revive his territorial claims, at least in the near future.

He said, without elaborating, that the US would soon be rolling out a large military presence on the island, which already hosts one Space Force base in its remote north-west. “This is a dream come true for the United States of America,” he wrote.

Extent of agreement unclear

Denmark hailed the “binding” deal. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Sept 19 that the potential signing meant “next week could be a good week”.

“A long period of uncertainty will hopefully be replaced by a binding agreement that strengthens security in the Arctic and North Atlantic,” he said in a social media post.

He added that the deal, which he said respected Denmark’s “red lines”, was “important” in the light of a changed security situation.

In a statement, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described the deal as “an agreement which at the same time recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the kingdom and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination”.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a statement that the agreement recognised Greenlandic interests and the Arctic island’s place in international cooperation.

“This benefits us all,” he said.

Much remained unclear late on Sept 18, including whether any new US bases would be constructed as a result of the agreement. Trump’s Truth Social posts about negotiations or agreements often lack context or specifics.

Imran Bayoumi, a former Pentagon official now with the Atlantic Council think-tank, said it would be new if the US can build bases without the approval of Greenland or Denmark, but that largely, “it seems that Washington could have achieved a lot of these objectives through diplomacy and dialogue without straining the broader US-NATO relationship”.

It was also unclear how the agreement would be received in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. The island’s residents aspire to independence and have bristled at US attempts to assert hegemony.

In a separate statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the deal “permanently and completely” addressed Washington’s national security concerns with respect to the island.

“Greenland will forever be part of the strategic defence area of North America and exclude any adversary from it and the surrounding area,” he wrote.

A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss specific terms, said the deal prohibits non-NATO countries from building a base in Greenland, and will allow only the US and its allies to make unspecified “sensitive investments”. The official said the agreement grants the US permanent access, basing and overflight rights, and would continue to apply even if Greenland becomes independent. REUTERS