What to know about Denmark’s deal with Trump over Greenland

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Aerial view taken by Mads Schmidt Rasmussen and handed out by Arctic Creative shows people as they take part in a demonstration that gathered almost a third of the city population to protest against the US President’s plans to take Greenland, on January 17, 2026 in Nuuk, Greenland. Photo by Mads Schmidt Rasmussen / various sources / AFP.

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Denmark on Saturday hailed a “binding” deal announced by US President Donald Trump to give Washington “permanent control” over Greenland’s security and bar Russian and Chinese bases from the Arctic territory.

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Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly insisted that Washington needed to control Greenland for strategic reasons, alarming NATO ally Denmark and sparking fierce pushback from the alliance.

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Denmark and Greenland – an autonomous Danish territory – both hailed the deal and said they would sign it on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week.

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Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Saturday the potential signing meant “next week could be a good week”.

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“A long period of uncertainty will hopefully be replaced by a binding agreement that strengthens security in the Arctic and North Atlantic,” the foreign minister said in a social media post.

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The deal respected Denmark’s “red lines” and was “important” in light of a changed security situation, he said.

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‘Permanent control’

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While the terms are still unclear, Denmark maintains that its sovereignty remains intact.

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Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the agreement “recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination”.

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Trump meanwhile hailed it as an “‘Infinite Life’ Agreement, there is no end!” and said Washington would immediately start building up a large military presence in the territory.

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“From now on, no US 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.”

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While Trump presented the deal as a major triumph, Danish commentators said he had not really gained anything, noting that Washington was already able to ramp up its military presence on the island provided it informs Denmark and Greenland in advance, under a 1951 defence pact updated in 2004.

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“Shhh. Don’t tell Trump that it’s the Kingdom of Denmark that has prevailed,” US correspondent Jacob Heinel Jensen wrote in the Danish newspaper Berlingske on Saturday.

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“Donald Trump gets out of it that he can appear as a winner. He has been a good businessman who has pushed Denmark and Greenland into something new,” Marc Jacobsen, a researcher at the Royal Danish Defence College, told AFP.

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Trump has repeatedly warned of Russia and China trying to establish a foothold in Greenland as a strategic battle for supremacy in a warming Arctic unfolds, and the State Department left no doubt that they would not be allowed to do so.

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“This agreement guarantees that China and Russia cannot have a base in Greenland, they cannot send troops to Greenland, and the necessary mechanisms are in place to prevent investment in sensitive sectors,” a State Department official said.

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Frederiksen said Friday she was “pleased that there is a prospect of a good agreement for Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States,” adding that it was “good for NATO and Europe.”

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Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the deal with the United States “strengthens” the territory’s security.

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NATO tensions

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Trump gave no details about how the deal would work.

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But several media outlets have reported that the United States wants to open three new military bases in southern Greenland, in addition to the Pituffik base it already has in the north of the territory.

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At the height of the crisis, Trump would not rule out using force to seize the territory of 57,000 inhabitants, sowing anxiety within the EU and NATO.

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Since then, tensions have cooled somewhat, and in an apparent move to assuage Trump, NATO launched a new mission to bolster security in the Arctic.

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Danes strolling in Copenhagen on Saturday were cautiously optimistic about the deal.

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“I hope this is a definitive and sound deal once the details are known but I wouldn’t be surprised if we have to take a step back again and then hopefully two steps forward,” Soren, a 52-year-old IT executive, told AFP.

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He feared the announcement was “maybe a little bit premature”.

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Katrine Rasmussen, a 47-year-old lawyer, said she hoped the agreement would be the last word.

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“It would be nice if we could end these discussions, at least that would be a good outcome, so we can move on.”

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