US President Donald Trump has announced what he described as a permanent security agreement with Denmark and Greenland, saying the deal gives Washington control over security and other US needs on the strategically important Arctic island.
Trump made the claim Friday in a post on his Truth Social platform, saying the United States had reached an agreement with Denmark and Greenland that would give it “permanent control” over Greenland’s security.
He also said the arrangement would prevent US adversaries from establishing military bases, maintaining a military presence or making sensitive investments in Greenland without American approval.
Trump said the United States would immediately begin developing a larger military presence on the Danish territory.
The announcement follows months of tension over Greenland after Trump repeatedly argued that the island was important to US national security and had previously suggested that Washington could seek to acquire it from Denmark.
The newly announced agreement is intended to expand the US military presence in Greenland while respecting Danish and Greenlandic sovereignty and self-determination. However, the agreement still requires parliamentary approval in Denmark and Greenland before it can take effect.
The precise legal scope of the arrangement was not immediately clear from Trump’s announcement. The full text of the agreement had not been publicly released in the initial reports, making the meaning of his description of “permanent control” a key issue.
The announcement does not mean that Greenland has been transferred to the United States. Greenland remains a self-governing part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Washington already has a longstanding military presence on the island. The United States operates Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base, under existing defence arrangements with Denmark.
The facility is strategically important for missile warning, space surveillance and communications.
The new agreement would therefore build on an existing US military role rather than establish an American presence in Greenland from scratch.
The Arctic territory has become increasingly important in US security calculations because of its location between North America and Europe and its proximity to major Arctic routes. Greenland is also of interest because of its mineral resources and its position in the wider competition involving the United States, Russia and China.
Trump’s latest announcement comes after months of diplomatic friction with Denmark and Greenland. Danish and Greenlandic officials had repeatedly rejected the idea of Greenland being sold to the United States, while stressing that decisions about the territory’s future belong to its people.
The new arrangement represents a shift from that earlier dispute towards negotiations focused on security and military cooperation.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen have expressed support for the agreement, while its implementation remains subject to the required approvals.
For Washington, the agreement would provide a framework for a larger and more permanent security role in the Arctic.
For Denmark and Greenland, key questions include the exact limits of US authority and how the new security arrangements will operate alongside Greenland’s self-government and Denmark’s sovereignty.
Further details are expected when the agreement is formally signed and its full provisions are made public.
