Denmark and Greenland on Saturday (September 19, 2026) said any agreement with the United States would not compromise Greenland’s sovereignty, after President Donald Trump said the deal would give Washington “permanent control” over the Arctic island’s security, leaving its precise scope unclear.
Trump announced after Reuters exclusively reported that the U.S. and Denmark were closing in on a deal. Mr. The United States, Denmark and Greenland said late on Friday (September 18, 2026) they had reached an agreement for the U.S. to develop a significant military presence on Greenland, while prohibiting U.S. adversaries from building their own bases on the island.
“This is probably not the end of President Trump’s ambitions for Greenland and certainly not the end of U.S. strategic interest in the territory and its resources,” said Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, a political science professor at the University of Copenhagen. A NATO spokesperson on Saturday (September 19, 2026) said the alliance welcomed the agreement, which would “help advance security, stability and cooperation in this vital region.”
Denmark and Greenland have welcomed the agreement, AFP reported. Key details of the agreement have not been made public, including the scale of U.S. military presence in the self-governing Danish territory and whether any formal power over foreign policy and resources would be ceded to Washington. But some residents in Greenland’s capital Nuuk, expressed scepticism about closer ties with Washington. “The U.S. should not control Greenland. “He should not expect our children and grandchildren to become Americans in the future.
I think it’s better if we have cooperation with NATO,” said Jakob Ludvigsen, 65.
“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 should stay far, far, far away from Greenland,” Marianne Hansen, a 71-year-old retired chef, told Reuters in Nuuk. Earlier reporting noted: Trump claims ‘permanent control’ over Greenland security: What new US-Denmark deal entails US President Donald Trump has said the United States has reached a new agreement with Denmark and Greenland that gives Washington “permanent control” over Greenland’s security. Earlier reporting noted: Trump said the deal will prevent countries such as Russia and China from setting up military bases or making sensitive investments in Greenland.
Earlier reporting noted: Greenland remains an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen retaining responsibility for areas such as defence and foreign policy, while Greenland has extensive self-government.
Mr. Trump said on Truth Social on Friday (September 19, 2026) that under a deal, “the United States will FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland to secure and defend the security of Greenland, and the United States of America.
The deal “gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland,” Mr. Trump said, adding that no adversary would ever be permitted to have a base or military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments there, without Washington’s express written approval.
