Denmark says ‘binding’ US deal on Greenland won’t compromise sovereignty

Denmark and Greenland said on Saturday they will sign a binding security agreement with the United States at next week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York, after Washington announced a deal that Copenhagen described as granting the US permanent control over Greenland’s security and preventing Russian and Chinese military bases there. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said the pact is intended to reduce a long period of uncertainty while reinforcing security in the Arctic and North Atlantic and respecting Denmark’s "red lines."

Greenland’s government and Denmark emphasised that the agreement will not undermine Greenlandic sovereignty. Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the deal recognises Greenland’s interests and will be beneficial for the territory, while Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen framed the move as strengthening NATO and European security in the region. Specific terms of the accord, including the size of any US military presence and whether formal authority over foreign policy or resources is transferred to Washington, have not been released.

Since returning to the White House in January 2025, President Donald Trump has repeatedly argued the United States needs a foothold in Greenland for strategic reasons and announced that Washington will immediately build up a large military presence there. Trump stated that no US adversary would be allowed to establish a base, deploy troops, or make sensitive investments in Greenland without US written approval. A State Department official said the agreement includes mechanisms to prevent China and Russia from establishing bases, sending troops, or making sensitive investments in Greenland.

Reactions within Greenland’s capital Nuuk were mixed. Some residents expressed unease about the increased attention from the United States and uncertainty about the agreement’s details, while others said the territory needs stronger protection from air and sea threats. Danish and Greenlandic leaders have presented the pact as a means to enhance shared security in the Arctic and North Atlantic amid a broader strategic competition in the warming region.