Denmark sees long-term NATO presence in Greenland after Trump deal

By Andrew Gray
Mon, September 28, 2026 


FILE PHOTO: Houses stand in front of the mountain Sermitsiaq, in Nuuk, Greenland, September 19, 2026. REUTERS/Tim Barsoe/File Photo

Danish Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus listens during a press conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, September 24, 2026. REUTERS/Tom Little

BRUSSELS, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Denmark is confident that NATO will maintain a heightened presence in Greenland ‌and the broader Arctic region over the long ‌term following a security agreement with the United States signed last week, the Danish ​defence minister said on Monday.

NATO launched a mission named Arctic Sentry earlier this year to boost exercises and patrols in the region as part of an effort to defuse severe tensions ‌within the military alliance ⁠over U.S. President Donald Trump's push to acquire Greenland.

In an interview with Reuters in Brussels, Danish ⁠Defence Minister Jeppe Bruus said Copenhagen hoped Arctic Sentry would continue beyond this year and next to become permanent.

Asked if he ​had clear ​signals from NATO allies that ​they were interested in ‌such a scenario, Bruus said: "So far we are pretty positive that the increased military presence in Greenland — but also in the Arctic — will continue."

The deal, signed by Trump and the leaders of Denmark and Greenland at the United Nations last week, foresees ‌the U.S. adding two more bases beyond ​its existing one on the semi-autonomous ​Danish Arctic territory. But it ​also envisages a greater role for NATO.

Bruus ‌said such a role would be ​important as melting ​ice caused by climate change opens up shipping routes in the Arctic.

"The build-up of interest in the Arctic, ​also from Russia, ‌from China et cetera, demands that NATO has a ​greater presence in the High North," he said.

(Reporting by ​Andrew GrayEditing by Gareth Jones)