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US Secures Permanent Security Control Over Greenland
Confirmed
In Short: US President Donald Trump announced a deal with Denmark and Greenland granting Washington permanent control over Greenland's security.
US President Donald Trump announced Friday that the United States has entered into an agreement with Denmark and Greenland, giving Washington permanent control over Greenland's security and other needs.
The agreement, which is expected to be signed next week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, aims to prevent Russia and China from establishing military bases or making sensitive investments in Greenland.
Trump said the deal would ensure that no US adversary could have a base in Greenland, send troops there, or make sensitive investments without express written approval from the US.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the deal, stating it strengthens Greenland's security and aligns with the territory's interests.
Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod also hailed the agreement, saying it would replace a period of uncertainty with a binding deal that strengthens security in the Arctic and North Atlantic.
The deal includes permanent access, basing, and overflight rights for the US military, according to a State Department official.
Marc Jacobsen, a researcher at the Royal Danish Defence College, said Trump had pushed Denmark and Greenland into something new, allowing him to appear as a winner.
A NATO spokesperson welcomed the deal, stating it would help advance security, stability, and cooperation in the region.
In Greenland's capital Nuuk, residents had mixed feelings about the agreement, with some expressing discomfort with the heightened attention.
The full text of the agreement has not been released, but it is expected to remain fully in effect even if Greenland becomes a fully independent country from Denmark.
What this adds
The agreement stops short of Trump's previous ambition to acquire Greenland outright.
The deal respects Denmark's 'red lines' and is important in light of a changed security situation.
While Russia has little interest in Greenland, China is investing in extractive industries to gain a foothold in the Arctic.
Background
US President Donald Trump says Washington has entered into an agreement with Denmark and Greenland for permanent US control over Greenland's security.
US President Donald Trump said Washington has entered into an agreement with Denmark and Greenland for permanent control over security and other needs.
What's confirmed
- "I am pleased to announce that the United States of America has entered into an Agreement with The Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland, that gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland," Trump said on his Truth Social network.
- Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the deal with the United States "strengthens" the territory's security.
- "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." The 80-year-old said it was an "'Infinite Life' Agreement, there is no end!" and said Washington would immediately start building up a large military presence in the territory.
- Nielsen said it was "gratifying that we are about to enter into an agreement that ensures and strengthens the security of Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark, the United States and the Western alliance".
- Reuters WORLD Published September 19,2026 12:29 AM Subscribe President Donald Trump said on Friday Washington has entered into an agreement with Denmark and Greenland that gives the US permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland.
What's still developing
- Trump has repeatedly warned about Russia and China trying to establish a foothold in Greenland as a strategic battle for supremacy in a warming Arctic unfolds, and the State Department left no doubt that they would not be allowed to do so.
- Frederiksen had said Monday that she was "optimistic" that ongoing discussions with the United States and Greenland since January could resolve the dispute.
- But several media outlets have reported that the United States wants to open three new military bases in southern Greenland, in addition to the Pituffik base it already has in the north of the territory.
- Since then, tensions have cooled somewhat, and in an apparent move to assuage Trump, NATO launched a new mission to bolster security in the Arctic.
- Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly insisted that Washington needed to control Greenland for strategic reasons, alarming NATO ally Denmark and sparking fierce pushback from the alliance.
- At the Davos economic forum this past January, Trump reached a purported deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte over the future of Greenland, the terms of which have remained vague.
- The US and Denmark have announced a deal on Greenland's security, resolving a diplomatic dispute sparked by President Donald Trump's threats to seize the territory by force.
- The announcement comes after months of threats by Trump to "take" Greenland over national security concerns, citing its strategic location for defence purposes and its mineral wealth. No text of the agreement has been released. Trump said the deal came with "no cost to the United States" and would grant the US the ability "to do what is necessary" to "secure and defend the security of Greenland", in a post on Truth Social.
- "The agreement recognises Greenland's interests and our place in international co-operation. It is for the benefit of us all," he said.
- "This deal permanently and completely addresses our national security concerns in Greenland," he said in a statement.
- The official added that under the current status quo, adversaries have been allowed to invest in Greenland's "sensitive sectors without investment screening".
- Also read: US military AI blunder: False intelligence on Chinese ship ‘almost started a war,’ report claims Earlier, Reuters reported that the United States and Denmark are closing in on a potential deal over the status of Greenland that would give the US military an expanded presence on the island, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.