Trump touts ‘permanent control’ in Greenland deal as Denmark, Nuuk stress sovereignty, self-determination
The U.S., Denmark and Greenland have struck a deal that President Donald Trump says gives Washington “permanent control” over Greenland’s security, even as Danish and Greenlandic leaders stressed that the agreement preserves the Kingdom of Denmark’s sovereignty and Greenlanders’ right to self-determination.
The agreement is expected to be signed next week during the United Nations General Assembly, according to a joint statement from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
“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,” Trump said Friday evening on social media.
Minutes later, the Danish Prime Minister’s Office posted the joint statement from Frederiksen and Nielsen on X.
“It is encouraging that we are about to conclude an agreement that secures and strengthens the security of Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark, the United States and the Western alliance,” Nielsen said. “The agreement recognizes Greenland’s interests and our place in international cooperation. It is to the benefit of us all.”
Frederiksen said the agreement would strengthen common security in the Arctic and North Atlantic and benefit NATO and Europe.
“And an agreement that at the same time recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination,” she said.
Forventet aftale om styrket sikkerhed i Arktis og det nordatlantiske område pic.twitter.com/qYN1jcRS8m
— Statsministeriet (@Statsmin) September 18, 2026
The satement said no further comments on the agreement would be provided at this time.
“Infinite Life” agreement
Trump described the deal as an “Infinite Life” agreement that would prevent U.S. adversaries from establishing bases in Greenland or making “senstive” investments in the island without U.S. approval.
“We will immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland, of which there are many,” he wrote. “We will work with the people of Greenland in its development and construction.”
Trump’s second term has been marked by repeated calls for the U.S. to buy or take control over Greenland saying it’s needed for U.S. national security as China and Russia up activity in the Arctic.
Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly said the island is not for sale. A working group was then set up for the United States, Denmark and Greenland to address Washington’s security concerns.
Earlier this week on Sept. 14, at a news conference after the European Arctic Summit in Rovaniemi, Finland, Frederiksen said the working group’s work was progressing well and she was confident Denmark and Greenland could reach an agreement with Washington.
A week of heightened security concerns in Europe
The announcement of the U.S.-Denmark-Greenland agreement comes during a week marked by heightened warnings about Russian aggression in Europe, including from leaders in Poland and France.
On Monday, 12 European countries attending the Arctic summit in Finland said Russia posed a “significant and long-term threat” to Euro-Atlantic security and warned that Moscow’s ambitions required stronger cooperation and a more robust European Union policy in the Arctic.
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