EditU.S., Denmark and Greenland reach security deal after months of tension over Trump’s claims
Washington, Copenhagen and Nuuk offer differing emphasis on what it actually means
The United States, Denmark and Greenland have reached an agreement expanding America’s military role on the Arctic island while stopping short of the territorial transfer President Donald Trump had long sought. The deal was announced in stages on Friday and Saturday, with Washington, Copenhagen and Nuuk offering differing emphasis on what it actually means.
On Friday, Reuters first reported that the United States and Denmark were closing in on an arrangement that would increase the U.S. military presence in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, but fall well short of Trump’s goal of acquiring the island. The United States already enjoys extensive overflight and basing rights under a 1951 treaty and maintains a Space Force base in the island’s remote northwest.
Later on Friday, Trump said on Truth Social that the three parties had entered into an agreement giving the United States “permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland.” He wrote that Washington would “FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary” to defend Greenland and the United States, that the deal had no expiry date, and that no U.S. adversary would be allowed to build bases or make sensitive investments without American approval. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the arrangement “permanently and completely” addressed U.S. national security concerns and that Greenland would remain part of North America’s strategic defense area. A State Department official said the deal grants the United States permanent access, basing and overflight rights and would continue to apply even if Greenland became independent.
On Saturday, Denmark and Greenland moved to clarify the limits of the accord. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said a binding agreement expected to be signed at the UN General Assembly next week would strengthen Arctic and North Atlantic security “while respecting the Kingdom’s red lines.” Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the agreement recognized the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Danish Realm and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination. Both governments stressed that Greenland is not for sale and that sovereignty would not be ceded. NATO welcomed the deal as a step toward security and cooperation in the region. Many operational details – whether new U.S. bases will be built and how far American authority extends – remain unpublished.
The agreement follows months of strain after Trump’s threats to seize Greenland, which had unsettled NATO allies and complicated Greenland’s long-standing independence aspirations. Copenhagen and Nuuk presented the outcome as an end to that uncertainty; Trump presented it as a strategic victory. The precise legal text will determine which description proves more accurate.
President Trump said Friday that the U.S. has struck an agreement with Denmark that gives the U.S. "permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns."
Read more: https://t.co/PwMVzah56H pic.twitter.com/RM8qmYl9vG
— ABC News (@ABC) September 19, 2026
With Reuters
Caption: Danish Minister of Defense Jeppe Bruus (R) takes a picture of an iceberg as he visits the NATO military exercise Arctic Shield 2026 in Narsarsuaq, Greenland, 9 September 2026. The military exercise Arctic Shield 2026 involves around 400 soldiers from about 10 NATO nations. The exercise lasts until September 18 and takes place on land, at sea, and in the air with a focus on military operations under Arctic conditions. EPA/Mads Claus Rasmussen
Updated: September 19, 2026 - 15:08
