US and Denmark reach Greenland security deal after annexation threats

The United States, Denmark, and Greenland have reached a new security agreement that aims to permanently block foreign adversaries from establishing a military or economic foothold on the Arctic island.

The deal, announced on Friday 18 September 2026, follows months of diplomatic tension sparked by US President Donald Trump’s threats to annex the semi-autonomous Danish territory.

While the official text has not yet been released, leaders from all three governments confirmed the pact will be formally signed next week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The agreement must still be approved by parliaments in Copenhagen and Nuuk before it can take effect.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump hailed the agreement as a personal triumph that would give the US "permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland". He added that the US would "immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence" on the island.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen struck a more measured tone, stating that the deal "strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic area" while explicitly recognising "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination".

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, the leader of Greenland's government, welcomed the deal, saying it "recognises Greenland's interests and our place in international co-operation."

An unnamed US State Department official outlined several key provisions of the pact. Under the terms described by the official, the agreement:

• Grants the US permanent access, basing, and overflight rights that will remain valid even if Greenland eventually chooses full independence from Denmark.
• Gives the US unilateral authority to build additional military facilities without needing approval from Denmark or Greenland.
• Prohibits non-Nato nations from building military bases on the island.
• Bars adversaries, specifically Russia and China, from making investments in "sensitive sectors" without express written approval from Washington.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the pact a "historic deal" that "permanently and completely" addresses American national security concerns.

The agreement marks a sharp turn from Trump’s earlier efforts to buy Greenland—which he once likened to "a large real estate deal"—and his subsequent threats to withdraw US forces from Europe if Denmark refused to negotiate. The threats had caused deep alarm in Copenhagen, which had previously rejected any talk of a sale, declaring that Greenland was not for sale.

How the deal will be received by Greenland’s 56,000 residents remains to be seen. Local polling has shown strong opposition to any US takeover, and many on the island aspire to full independence.

The US already maintains a significant military presence in Greenland under a 1951 Cold War-era treaty, which includes the Pituffik Space Base in the island's remote northwest. The melting of Arctic ice has made the region increasingly crucial for global shipping and defence, while also exposing vast, untapped reserves of rare earth minerals essential for high-tech manufacturing and electric vehicles.