Trump Announces Deal Granting U.S. Permanent Defense Rights in Greenland

President Donald Trump announced a proposed security agreement with Denmark and Greenland that he says would give the United States permanent authority over security matters, expanded military access, and the ability to develop a larger presence on the strategically important Arctic island. The pact would reportedly provide additional basing and overflight rights at no cost to U.S. taxpayers and restrict China, Russia and other adversaries, including non-NATO countries, from establishing military facilities or making sensitive investments in Greenland without U.S. approval. Denmark and Greenland said the arrangement would strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic while preserving Danish sovereignty, Greenland’s self-determination and its status as a self-governing Danish territory; it would not transfer ownership to the United States. The three governments plan to sign the agreement during the following week’s United Nations General Assembly, after which it would require approval from the Danish and Greenlandic parliaments, although officials have not released detailed text or independently confirmed the terms. The announcement followed months of tension after Trump threatened to acquire Greenland, including by force, while officials in Copenhagen, Nuuk and across Europe rejected any change to the island’s sovereignty.