Trump announced Friday that the US has entered into an agreement with Denmark and Greenland, giving the US permanent control over security and all other needs in Greenland. The deal keeps the island under Danish sovereignty but gives Washington veto power over which countries can have a military presence there.
The announcement came via Truth Social, where Trump wrote: “There will be NO COST to the United States!” He also promised that “no U.S. 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.”
The Deal’s Terms
The US has kept a military presence on Greenland under NATO since 1951, and currently operates the Pituffik Space Base, about 750 miles above the Arctic Circle. The new arrangement extends that presence beyond the existing base.
Trump said the deal is “a great one for the United States of America, Denmark, Greenland, and all of our Allies.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News Digital: “This historic deal is a huge win for the United States and the American people.”
Rubio added: “Greenland will forever be part of the strategic defense area of North America and exclude any adversary from it and the surrounding area.”
The Path to This Point
Trump called on Denmark to sell Greenland to the US soon after returning to the White House in January 2025, citing the island’s importance to national security. Leaders of both Denmark and Greenland repeatedly said the island was not for sale and condemned reports of US intelligence gathering on Greenlandic territory.
The pattern of Trump’s interest in Greenland is familiar to anyone following his presidency. Each time the Danes and Greenlanders pushed back.
“There will be NO COST to the United States!”
What Denmark Has Said
Denmark has not responded to the announcement. Ahead of the deal, Reuters reported, citing two sources familiar with the talks, that an agreement was close and Greenlandic territory could be used to house components of the Golden Dome missile defense system, which officials hope to start bringing online in 2028.
There was no immediate response from Denmark, which had reacted angrily to Trump’s repeated suggestions that the US might annex the territory. The absence of a Danish statement leaves the terms of the agreement unconfirmed from Copenhagen’s side.
The Security Veto
The deal gives the US permanent control over security and all other needs in Greenland. That means Washington gets a say in who else can operate there.
Trump wrote that “We will immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland, of which there are many. We will work with the people of Greenland in its development and construction.”
The US already runs Pituffik, but the new deal expands the scope of American activity. The exact locations and scale of the new presence are not detailed in the announcement.
The Golden Dome Connection
The Golden Dome missile defense system is part of the picture. Reuters reported that Greenlandic territory could be used to house components of the system, which officials hope to bring online in 2028.
The US has operated in Greenland since 1951 under NATO, and the Pituffik base has been a key asset. The new arrangement extends that presence beyond the existing base.
The Sovereignty Question
The arrangement raises a question about sovereignty. Greenland remains under Danish sovereignty, but the US now has permanent control over security and all other needs there.
Denmark has not responded to the announcement. The lack of a Danish statement leaves the terms of the agreement unconfirmed from Copenhagen’s side.
The Cost Question
Trump promised that “There will be NO COST to the United States!” The announcement did not specify how that guarantee holds up against the costs of building and maintaining a larger military presence.
The US already runs Pituffik, but the new deal expands the scope of American activity. The exact locations and scale of the new presence are not detailed in the announcement.
What Comes Next
The US will begin developing a large military presence in Greenland, according to Trump. The announcement says the development and construction will involve working with the people of Greenland.
The Golden Dome missile defense system is part of the picture. Reuters reported that Greenlandic territory could be used to house components of the system, which officials hope to bring online in 2028.
The US has operated in Greenland since 1951 under NATO, and the Pituffik base has been a key asset. The new arrangement extends that presence beyond the existing base.
The arrangement is unusual. The US gains control over security in a territory that remains formally part of another country. Denmark has not responded, and the terms remain unconfirmed from Copenhagen’s side.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs the deal over the standoff, and is against any arrangement that concentrates power over a sovereign territory in one hand alone. Greenland remains under Danish sovereignty, yet the US now controls security and all other needs there, with veto power over which countries can have a military presence. That concentration of power is the problem.
The paper’s position is to focus at home and keep channels open for trade, diplomacy and compromise. A deal that hands Washington permanent control over a Danish territory without a clear Danish response crosses a line the paper would not cross.
What the reader should watch for is whether Denmark ever confirms the terms. Until Copenhagen speaks, the announcement stands as one man’s word.
Source material: “Trump announces Greenland deal with Denmark giving US ‘permanent control over security’,” the New York Post.
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