Denmark and Greenland on Saturday confirmed that a planned security agreement with the United States will not compromise the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark or Greenlanders’ right to self-determination. The statement came after US president Donald Trump said the pact would give Washington “permanent control” over the Arctic island’s security.
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The United States, Denmark and Greenland are expected to sign the agreement on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week. It will take effect after the necessary national parliamentary procedures are completed, according to the Danish government.
The agreement would allow the United States to develop a significant military presence on Greenland while preventing US adversaries from establishing bases on the island. However, key details, including the scale of the proposed US military presence and whether Washington would receive any formal authority over foreign policy or resources, remain unclear.
Greenland prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the planned accord.
“I am pleased on Greenland’s behalf that we are nearing the conclusion of an agreement - an agreement that benefits not only our collective security but also the continued development of this country,” Nielsen said.
“The agreement recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination,” he added.
Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen also backed the agreement, saying it would strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic.
“I am glad that we are about to make a great agreement for Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark, and the United States. An agreement which strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic Area and therefore is great for NATO and Europe as well,” Frederiksen said.
She stressed that the pact recognises “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people's right to self-determination.”
Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said, “Next week could be a good week - for Greenland, Denmark, and the United States.”
“A time of uncertainty will hopefully give way to a binding agreement that strengthens security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic, and thereby our shared security within NATO and Europe - while respecting the (Danish) Kingdom's red lines,” he said.
Trump, however, described the arrangement in broader terms, saying, “The United States will FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the security of Greenland, and the United States of America.”
He said the deal “gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland”, while ruling out bases, military presence or sensitive investments by adversaries without US approval.
The agreement follows months of tension after Trump threatened to seize Greenland, straining relations with Denmark and raising concerns within NATO. The alliance said the pact would “help advance security, stability and cooperation in this vital region”.
