US signs ‘tremendous’ Arctic security deal with Denmark, Greenland

The United States, Denmark and Greenland have signed a deal on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, granting Washington a greater military presence on the continent-sized Arctic island.

After years of tensions between the US and Denmark, which holds sovereignty over the autonomous and resource-rich territory of Greenland, Tuesday’s agreement resolves a key point of contention among Western transatlantic allies. It is set to expand a longstanding US presence just as great-power competition with Russia and China heats up.

“This is tremendous for Europe and for the United States and for everybody,” US President Donald Trump said before signing the agreement. “And for Greenland, it’s going to be incredible.”

Addressing the UNGA earlier on Tuesday, Trump said the US would “immediately begin the process of developing a large military presence in the appropriate locations”, including “building two very major military bases”.

Agreement details

The agreement allows Washington to “modernise and expand” its activities at the Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland. Bases will be established at Narsarsuaq in the south and Mestersvig in the east with the option to “establish additional defense areas” and expand operations.

It also permits US aircraft to fly over and land anywhere in Greenland, including its territorial waters while also granting “undersea access”.

No non-NATO country will be allowed to set up military installations or a “persistent” military presence in Greenland without unanimous approval by Denmark, Greenland and the US. The agreement also bars investors from “sensitive sectors” outside NATO and the European Union.

The accord does not have an end date. If Greenland becomes independent, it will remain in NATO and assume Denmark’s obligations under the deal.

“The Danish government and the Greenland government will maintain sovereignty over Greenland’s territory, but the US will have essentially veto power over what other countries are able to come to the island,” said Al Jazeera correspondent Rosiland Jordan reporting from UN Headquarters in New York.

“It does give Washington a great deal of what it wants: a military presence and the ability to keep rival nations, notably China and Russia, off,” she added.

Months of standoff

The deal follows a months-long standoff after Trump threatened to seize Greenland, prompting warnings from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen that a US takeover would end the NATO alliance.

Since 1945, the US military presence in Greenland shrank from thousands of troops across 17 bases to about 200 stationed at the remote Pituffik base.

Frederiksen called the new agreement “a deal that can last forever”, while Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen described it as “a win-win-win”, saying: “Your security is our security, and our security is your security.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and European Council President Antonio Costa both welcomed the deal, with the latter calling it “a positive step for transatlantic cooperation and Arctic security”, grounded in “respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination”.