Trump announces an agreement with Denmark to assume the "permanent control of security" of Greenland

Trump announces an agreement with Denmark to assume the "permanent control of security" of Greenland The Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, confirms the commitment but speaks of "shared security in the Arctic". The pact between the three parties includes a veto on enemy countries, according to the US president's version. The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced this Friday on his social media that the United States has reached an agreement with the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenland that "grants" Washington "permanent control over the security and other needs in Greenland. Also, that this agreement addresses "all" the "numerous concerns" of the White House. Beyond the triumphant language, many details were missing in that first post on Truth, which did not make it clear what changes regarding the existing agreement on the Arctic island from 1951 between Washington and Copenhagen. It was also not possible to leave any doubts with the official statements that followed. Shortly after Trump's message, who returned to the White House with the intention of buying the world's largest island, the office of the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, published a statement on X, also signed by Greenland, approving the pact. "Greenland, Denmark and the United States plan to sign an agreement next week that will strengthen security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic area," the text says, explaining that this signing will be within the framework of the United Nations General Assembly, which is held in New York next week. "Once signed, it must undergo the necessary parliamentary procedures for its entry into force," the statement warns. Expected agreement on strengthened security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic area pic.twitter.com/qYN1jcRS8m — Statsministeriet (@Statsmin) September 18, 2026 The agreement comes after months of negotiations between the United States and Denmark about a possible military expansion by the world's first power on the island, an autonomous territory belonging to Denmark. It is expected that the pact will serve to end the threats from the US president to forcibly annex the territory of a NATO member. The Pentagon, according to information obtained in May, intends to open three new bases, a claim that aligns with the aforementioned defense agreement in force between Washington and Copenhagen. Trump wanted these facilities to be designated as sovereign territory of the United States, a demand to which his counterparts objected. "This will not cost the United States ANYTHING! (...) [W]e have worked with representatives of Denmark and Greenland to ensure that the United States has THE TOTAL capacity to do whatever is necessary in Greenland to secure and defend the security of both Greenland and the United States of America," wrote Trump on Truth. "Infinite" life The US president also affirmed that "no adversary will ever have a military base or presence in Greenland, nor make sensitive investments there, without our express written approval." And he defined the "life" of the agreement as "infinite". "We will collaborate with the people of Greenland in their development and construction. This solution is excellent for the United States of America, Denmark, Greenland, and all our allies," concludes the president's post on Truth. Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Prime Minister of Greenland, celebrated, for his part, that the agreement "recognizes the interests" of the island and its "role in international cooperation". "It will benefit us all," he stated. Relying on language less definitive than Trump's, the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, declared: "I am pleased that there is the prospect of a good agreement for Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States. An agreement that strengthens our shared security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic area and that, therefore, also benefits NATO and Europe. An agreement that, at the same time, recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom, as well as the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination." A few hours later, the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, defended the security agreement reached with Washington by arguing that "the situation in the Arctic has changed". There is already a bilateral defense agreement signed in 1951 and renewed in 2004 that grants the United States privileges to expand its military presence in Greenland. This does not prevent the construction of new bases or the deployment of hundreds or thousands of US soldiers, so one will have to wait to see the content of the new agreement to correctly interpret its novelty and scope. Greenland is the largest island in the world that does not form a continent: a vast expanse of land and ice between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans with a small population (56,000 inhabitants), but rich in natural resources and geo-strategic value. It is coveted for its location: the melting of the Arctic promises to open new navigation routes, as well as commercial and naval competition with Moscow that Beijing does not want to be left out of. It also has the desired reserves of rare earth minerals, necessary for the design of the most advanced technology. Trump already said in 2019, during his first term in the White House, that he was considering the possibility of buying Greenland. He even canceled a state visit to Denmark when the rulers of the Scandinavian country, a founding member of NATO and a member of the European Union, replied that the island is not for sale.