Trump claims Greenland accord gives US 'permanent control over security'

Danish, Greenlandic leaders frame same deal as preserving sovereignty

In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump cast the new Arctic security pact as a personal triumph, calling it “very important, historic, and special.” He claimed the agreement “gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns.”

“We will immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland,” Trump wrote. He added that under the deal, “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.”

In statements posted online late Friday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the agreement would fall far short of Trump’s stated desire for “the acquisition of Greenland by the United States.” The accord “recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination,” Frederiksen said.

Greenland’s government leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen framed the deal similarly. The agreement “ensures and strengthens the security of Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark, the United States and the Western alliance,” Nielsen said, suggesting the deal might possibly just reiterate existing US rights through NATO to use the island as a security base.

The two characterizations set up competing accounts of what was negotiated. Trump’s account implies broad US authority over Greenland’s security and announces plans for an expanded US military presence on the island. Danish and Greenlandic characterizations emphasized that sovereignty and self-determination remain intact.

The United States already has a military presence on Greenland and the right to expand bases under NATO arrangements, a framework Trump did not reference in his Truth Social post. Greenland is a self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, a fellow NATO member.

The agreement is scheduled to be formally signed next week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, according to the Danish government. Once agreed to, the pact will need to go through parliamentary procedures to be enacted, the statement said.

The deal closes a months-long confrontation that began with Trump’s renewed public push to acquire Greenland. At a NATO summit in Ankara earlier this year, Trump renewed his bid and threatened to pull all American armed forces out of Europe after the continent repeatedly pushed back on his demands.