Trump Announces Deal to Expand US Military Presence in Greenland

COPENHAGEN: U.S. President Donald Trump has announced an agreement with Denmark and Greenland aimed at expanding the United States’ military presence on the Arctic island while keeping Greenland under Danish control.

The announcement follows months of tensions over Greenland after Trump repeatedly raised the possibility of the United States taking control of the strategically located, mineral-rich territory, which is a semiautonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

Trump said the agreement would provide the United States with permanent control over security and other security-related needs in Greenland and that Washington would immediately begin the process of developing a larger military presence there.

Danish officials have expressed cautious optimism about the agreement. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s office said the deal is expected to be signed next week at the United Nations General Assembly, although parliamentary approval in Denmark and Greenland will still be required before it can take effect.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said the agreement could replace a period of uncertainty with a binding arrangement designed to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic. Greenland’s government leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen also said the agreement could contribute to collective security and the island’s continued development.

Under the reported framework, a U.S. State Department official said non-NATO countries would be barred from establishing military bases in Greenland, while restrictions would also apply to investments by potential adversaries. The official said the arrangement would prevent China and Russia from establishing military facilities on the island. Denmark and Greenland have not publicly confirmed all of these details.

The United States already operates Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland under a longstanding defense arrangement with Denmark. The facility supports missile-warning, missile-defense and space-surveillance missions for the United States and NATO.

The agreement would maintain Danish sovereignty over Greenland while providing for expanded U.S. security and military activities on the strategically important Arctic island.