Greenland security deal leaves US claims untested as parliamentary scrutiny looms

US President Donald Trump says the United States and Denmark have agreed to a security arrangement giving Washington permanent control over Greenland’s security and allowing additional military sites on the Arctic territory.

Denmark says it retains sovereignty over Greenland, while the agreement recognises Greenland’s interests and right to self-determination. It does not transfer ownership of the territory to the United States or meet Mr Trump’s previously stated objective of annexation.

The agreement is expected to be signed during next week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York, but it will require ratification by the Danish and Greenlandic parliaments. Denmark and Greenland have acknowledged the deal while providing few details, and its official text has not been released.

Mr Trump says the arrangement would prevent US adversaries from establishing military bases or making sensitive investments in Greenland without American approval. A US State Department official has also said Washington could build further military sites without approval from Denmark or Greenland, although the scope of those powers remains unclear.

The United States already holds broad overflight, basing and operational rights under a 1951 treaty and operates Pituffik Space Base in north-western Greenland. It is not yet clear whether the proposed agreement would create materially greater unilateral powers.

The deal follows Mr Trump’s earlier threats to seize Greenland, which heightened tensions within NATO. A January 2025 poll found 85 per cent of Greenland’s approximately 56,000 residents opposed becoming part of the United States. Its effect if Greenland becomes independent, and the meaning of terms such as “adversaries” and “sensitive investments”, remain unresolved.