The United States and Denmark have announced a binding agreement on Greenland’s security, ending a diplomatic dispute that began when President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to seize the semi-autonomous Danish territory by force. The deal, expected to be signed next week at the UN General Assembly in New York, grants Washington what Trump called “permanent control over security, and all other needs” in the Arctic island, while Copenhagen and Nuuk insist sovereignty is not compromised.
NATO welcomed the agreement. A spokesperson for the military alliance said it would “help advance security, stability and cooperation in this vital region.” The crisis alarmed allies. Trump, since returning to the White House in January 2025, repeatedly demanded control of Greenland, citing its strategic location for defence purposes and its mineral wealth. His threats to “take” Greenland prompted an outcry from Greenlanders, Danes, and other NATO members.
Trump said the deal came with “no cost to the United States” and would grant the ability “to do what is necessary” to “secure and defend the security of Greenland,” in a post on Truth Social. He said it included a rule that no US adversary could maintain a military presence in Greenland or “make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval.”
What the deal reportedly includes
A State Department official said the agreement guarantees that China and Russia cannot have a base in Greenland, cannot send troops to Greenland, and that the necessary mechanisms are in place to prevent investment in sensitive sectors. Trump, who had previously said the US needs “ownership” of Greenland, announced that Washington would immediately start building up a large military presence in the territory. He had repeatedly warned of Russia and China trying to establish a foothold in Greenland as a strategic battle unfolds for supremacy in the warming Arctic region.
Key details of the agreement have not been made public, including the scale of the US military presence in the self-governing Danish territory and whether any formal power over foreign policy and resources would be ceded to Washington. The leaders of Denmark and Greenland welcomed the deal to “strengthen security” but did not outline its contents. The BBC has contacted the Danish Embassy in the US and the White House.
Sovereignty remains a red line
Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she was “pleased that there is a prospect of a good agreement” for all three parties. In a joint statement with Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, she said the deal “strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic area” while also recognising “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination.” The agreement would still need to go through “the necessary parliamentary procedures to enter into force” once signed, the statement noted.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said a “long period of uncertainty will hopefully be replaced by a binding agreement.” That agreement, he said, “strengthens security in the Arctic and North Atlantic, and thereby our shared security within NATO and Europe – while respecting the [Danish] Kingdom’s red lines.” 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.” He said the agreement recognises Greenland’s interests and its place in international cooperation.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the deal helped “to reaffirm Danish sovereignty” over the island. “I simply note that Danish sovereignty is respected, that international law is respected, and that this is what we were asking for. So it’s a good thing,” Macron was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency. Territorial integrity was a red line for Denmark and Greenland, and the US president has made no mention of any territory changing hands.
Some Danish media interpreted the agreement as a quiet but significant triumph for the country’s diplomacy. “Don’t tell Trump that it’s the Kingdom of Denmark that has won,” read one headline in the newspaper Berlingske. “Trump didn’t get Greenland, but he was allowed to take a victory lap on social media,” wrote a US correspondent for Politiken. It is not yet clear what concessions or sweeteners, if any, have been agreed.
In Greenland, reactions were mixed. MP Naaja Nathanielsen wrote on social media that it was “news we have all been hoping for,” but added that it is “absolutely crucial that any agreement preserves our right to self-determination.” Former Greenlandic politician Aaja Chemnitz said she looked forward to the deal being finalised, but “until then, I’m sceptical.” She lacks confidence in Trump. In Nuuk, residents expressed uncertainty. Soren Kreutzmann, a 29-year-old hairdresser, told AFP he had mixed feelings and was not entirely comfortable with how much attention Greenland was receiving. Bibbi Kleist Jepsen, a 64-year-old educator, said she hoped the leaders had made a good agreement because the country needs to be protected from the air and sea, adding that Denmark had not given that enough attention for many years.