Trump announces Greenland deal expanding US military presence while keeping Danish sovereignty

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Friday that the United States has reached an agreement with Denmark and Greenland to expand the U.S. military presence in Greenland while leaving the Arctic territory under Danish sovereignty. Trump said the emerging agreement gives Washington “permanent control over security” in Greenland and addresses U.S. national security concerns, adding that his administration would immediately begin developing a larger military presence on the strategically located island. The agreement follows months of negotiations among U.S., Danish and Greenlandic officials after Trump repeatedly called for the United States to acquire Greenland and declined to rule out using military force. Denmark and Greenland had consistently maintained that the territory was not for sale. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s office said the agreement is expected to be signed by the three governments during the United Nations General Assembly next week. It will still require parliamentary action in Denmark and Greenland before taking effect.Frederiksen said the agreement recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Denmark and Greenland as well as Greenlanders’ right to self-determination. Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the deal recognizes Greenland’s interests.Under the emerging arrangement, non-NATO countries would be barred from establishing military bases in Greenland, while investments by countries regarded by Washington as adversaries would face restrictions, according to a U.S. State Department official cited by The Associated Press. The provisions are aimed in particular at preventing China and Russia from establishing military footholds on the island. The United States already operates Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland under a defense agreement with Denmark dating to 1951. The installation supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations for the United States and NATO.The agreement could bring an end to months of tensions between Washington and Copenhagen over Greenland, which occupies a strategically important position in the Arctic and North Atlantic.