The United States, Denmark, and Greenland have reached an agreement that will allow the U.S. to develop a significant military presence in Greenland, while preventing U.S. adversaries from establishing bases on the island, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday (September 18, 2026).
The agreement comes after months of Mr. Trump threatening to take control of the island from Denmark by force.
Denmark and Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, welcomed the agreement and said it would be signed on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week.
Trump hails U.S.-Greenland deal
In a post on Truth Social, the U.S. President said no U.S. adversary would be able to make sensitive investments on the island without Washington’s approval, adding that the agreement had no expiry date.
“At my direction, we worked with representatives of Denmark and Greenland to guarantee that the United States will FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the security of Greenland, and the United States of America,” Mr. Trump wrote. “This is a dream come true for the United States of America,” he added.
The announcement suggests that Mr. Trump may not revive his territorial claims over Greenland, at least in the near future. He said, without elaborating, that the U.S. would soon establish a significant military presence on the island, which already hosts a Space Force base in its remote northwest.
Mr. Trump, however, provided no details on how the agreement would work, and it was not immediately clear whether it was linked to, or substantially different from, the framework he had earlier said was reached following talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Denmark, Greenland welcome deal
The office of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the agreement with the U.S. would be signed by the three governments next week during the United Nations General Assembly. However, parliamentary approval is still required from Denmark and Greenland before it can be implemented.
The Prime Minister’s office said the agreement would strengthen security in the North Atlantic and the Arctic.
In a statement, Ms. Frederiksen said “the agreement recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Greenland and Denmark and upholds both peoples’ right “to self-determination”.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the emerging agreement benefited all three governments and “recognises Greenland’s interests and our place in the international cooperation”. He also said the agreement with the United States “strengthens” the territory’s security.
Deal addresses U.S. security concerns
In a separate statement, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the agreement “permanently and completely” addressed Washington’s national security concerns regarding the island. “Greenland will forever be part of the strategic defense area of North America and exclude any adversary from it and the surrounding area,” he wrote.
The U.S. already has extensive overflight and basing rights in Greenland under a 1951 treaty. The defence agreement, updated in 2004, allows Washington to increase troop deployments and military installations on the island, provided it informs Denmark and Greenland in advance.
A State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss specific terms, said the agreement prohibits non-NATO countries from establishing a base in Greenland and would allow only the U.S. and its allies to make unspecified “sensitive investments”.
The official said the agreement grants the U.S. permanent access, basing and overflight rights and would continue to apply even if Greenland becomes independent.
Strategic importance of Greenland
Mr. Trump has claimed that the U.S. needs Greenland to deter threats from Russia and China and has repeatedly alleged that Chinese and Russian military forces are operating near the island’s coastline.
Greenland has long been strategically important to the defence of North America. The U.S. maintained several bases and military installations on the island during the Cold War before scaling back its presence.
The U.S. continues to operate the remote Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, which was established after Washington and Copenhagen signed the Defense of Greenland Treaty in 1951. The facility supports missile warning, missile defence and space surveillance operations for the U.S. and NATO.
Greenland lies off the northeastern coast of Canada, with more than two-thirds of its territory within the Arctic Circle. Its geographical location has made the island strategically important to the defence of North America since World War II, when the U.S. occupied Greenland to prevent it from falling into the hands of Nazi Germany and to protect vital North Atlantic shipping routes.
Trump’s threats to take over Greenland
The agreement announced by Mr. Trump appears to mark a significant retreat from his earlier calls for the United States to take control of the autonomous Danish territory. Those demands drew strong opposition from European allies and presented one of the gravest challenges to the NATO alliance since the end of World War II.
Mr. Trump had repeatedly called on Denmark to sell Greenland to the United States, insisting that the island was crucial to U.S. security. He also refused to rule out taking control of the island through military force, despite Denmark being a NATO ally of the U.S.
Denmark and Greenland repeatedly said the island was not for sale and condemned reports that the U.S. was gathering intelligence there. Washington’s push for control of Greenland also faced strong opposition from Russia and much of Europe.
Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Mr. Trump has repeatedly insisted that Washington needs control of Greenland for strategic reasons. He has made veiled threats to seize the island by force and raised the prospect of higher tariffs on goods from European countries that did not support his position.
The pressure campaign reached a head in January 2026 during the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Mr. Trump criticised European allies in his address. He later backed away from his demands following talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, saying instead that the two sides had agreed on the parameters of a framework concerning Greenland and the Arctic region.
Published – September 19, 2026 10:46 am IST
