Greenland, Denmark say US deal will not cede sovereignty
By Stine Jacobsen, Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Tom Little
Sat, September 19, 2026
A drone view shows houses on the shore of Nuuk, Greenland, February 7, 2026. REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov
U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Kenneth A. Howery with Vivian Motzfeldt, a member of the Greenlandic Parliament (Demokraatit), at the opening of a new U.S. consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, May 21, 2026. REUTERS/Tim Barsoe
COPENHAGEN, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Denmark and Greenland on Saturday said any agreement with the United States would not compromise Greenland's sovereignty, after President Donald Trump said the deal would give Washington "permanent control" over the Arctic island's security, leaving its precise scope unclear.
The United States, Denmark and Greenland said late on Friday they had entered into an agreement for the US to develop a significant military presence on Greenland, while prohibiting US adversaries from building their own bases on the island.
Key details of the agreement have not been made public, including the degree of US military presence in the self-governing Danish territory and whether any formal power over foreign policy and resources would be ceded to Washington.
Denmark and Greenland expressed hope that a deal, which is expected to be signed during the UN General Assembly next week, would end months of uncertainty triggered by Trump's threats to seize control of Greenland.
"Next week could be a good week - for Greenland, Denmark, and the United States," Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in a statement posted on Facebook on Saturday.
"A time of uncertainty will hopefully give way to a binding agreement that strengthens security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic, and thereby our shared security within NATO and Europe - while respecting the (Danish) Kingdom's red lines," he said.
Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly insisted that Washington respect the sovereignty of the Danish kingdom and accept that Greenland is not for sale.
TRUMP'S VISION FOR GREENLAND DEAL
Trump said on Truth Social late on Friday that under a deal, "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."
The deal "gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland," Trump said, adding that no adversary would ever be permitted to have a base or military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments there, without Washington's express written approval.
Trump made the announcement after Reuters exclusively reported that the US and Denmark were closing in on a deal.
"This is probably not the end of President Trump's ambitions for Greenland and certainly not the end of US strategic interest in the territory and its resources," said Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, a political science professor at the University of Copenhagen.
If Copenhagen cedes any formal power to Washington, it raises the question in Greenland of whether "this is the beginning of replacing the colonial relationship with Denmark with a colonial relationship to the United States," he said.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Saturday that he was pleased with the proposed deal: "The agreement recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination," he said in a post on Facebook.
TENSIONS WITHIN NATO ALLIANCE
Trump's threats, which peaked in January, triggered a diplomatic crisis that strained relations within NATO and pushed Denmark and Greenland into negotiations aimed at defusing the pressure.
A NATO spokesperson on Saturday said the alliance welcomed the agreement, which would "help advance security, stability and cooperation in this vital region."
Steffen Nielsen, a 49-year-old sales worker living in Copenhagen, told Reuters: "I think that the US is probably going to get what they could have had the whole time, if they just asked nicely."
"I don't like it," Kaj Jorgensen, an 80-year-old pensioner, also living in Copenhagen, said of the news. "I don't wish the United States to be present anywhere in the Danish Kingdom. I really don't trust Donald Trump."
(Reporting by Stine Jacobsen and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen, Additional reporting by Lili Bayer in Brussels; Editing by Ros Russell)
US and Denmark reach deal over Greenland's security
Greenland's prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, welcomed the agreement, saying it was "to the benefit of us all" and that it would "ensure and strengthen" the security of the island.
The United States and Denmark have announced that they have come to an agreement over Greenland, with US President Donald Trump saying the deal would give Washington "permanent control" of the island's security.
"I am pleased to announce that the United States of America has entered into an Agreement with The Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland, that gives the United States permanent control over security," Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social account on Friday.
"From now on, 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," he added.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to seize the Danish autonomous territory since his return to the White House in January 2025, arguing that it was an essential "national security" concern and that if Washington did not act, then China or Russia would do so.
His rhetoric has sparked pushback from across Europe and prompted fresh funding pledges from Brussels and a renewed focus on Arctic security.
In a statement on Friday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen touted a "great agreement for Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark, and the United States," while promising that it would recognise "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination.”
"An agreement which strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic Area and therefore is great for NATO and Europe as well," she added.
Greenland's prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, also welcomed the agreement with the US, saying it was "to the benefit of us all" and that it would "ensure and strengthen the security of the island.
The deal is expected to be signed at the UN General Assembly in New York next week.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had visited Greenland earlier this month as part of EU efforts to counter Trump's Arctic ambitions, announcing a €200 million partnership with the territory during her visit - which is set to be invested this year and the next.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos this year, von der Leyen had said the EU was working on a "massive European investment surge" in Greenland in a bid to ramp up Arctic security.
The Commission has proposed allocating €530 million to Greenland under its budget for the 2028–2034 period, which it said reflected its "growing geostrategic importance in the Arctic."
The US is reported to have had 17 military facilities and over 10,000 troops on Greenland at the height of the Cold War. It now operates just one base on the island, the Pituffik Space Base - the US Department of Defense's northernmost installation.
Pituffik is used for missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance missions, per the US Space Force.
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