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US, Denmark and Greenland sign Arctic security deal

By Sohail Khan 22 September 2026, 9:44 pm

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Business News›News›Defence›Trump signs Arctic security pact with Denmark, Greenland after months of tensions

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Trump signs Arctic security pact with Denmark, Greenland after months of tensions
Synopsis

The United States, Denmark and Greenland have signed a security pact. This agreement expands American military access to the strategically vital Arctic island. It aims to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic regions. The deal formally retains Danish sovereignty over Greenland while increasing US involvement. This pact follows months of US pressure for greater control of the territory.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a security agreement with Denmark and Greenland aimed at strengthening Arctic and North Atlantic security, easing months of tensions over his repeated calls for Greenland to come under US control.

The agreement, signed on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, is expected to expand the US military presence on the strategically located Arctic island while keeping Greenland under Danish sovereignty. The governments had provided few details of the pact before the signing.

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The deal follows months of pressure from Trump, who has repeatedly said the United States needs greater control of Greenland for national security reasons. He had previously expressed a desire to acquire the territory and refused to rule out using military force, creating tensions with Denmark, a NATO ally.

Trump said last week that the agreement would give the United States “permanent control” over Greenland's security and other security needs. Danish and Greenlandic officials, however, have stressed that the arrangement does not transfer sovereignty.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said earlier that the agreement should strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic while respecting Denmark's red lines. Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the proposed deal recognised “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination.”

The pact is expected to give Washington greater military access to Greenland. Reuters reported that the United States plans to reopen a former Cold War-era base at Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland and establish a new military presence at Mestersvig on the east coast, currently used by Denmark's Sirius Dog Sled Patrol.

The US already operates Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland, a strategically important installation used for missile warning, space surveillance and other defence missions. During the Cold War, the United States operated numerous military facilities across the island.

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Greenland's location makes it strategically important to the US and its NATO allies. It sits between North America and Europe and is part of the broader Arctic security environment, where Russia has significant military capabilities and where China has also sought greater economic and strategic engagement.

The island is also rich in mineral resources, including rare earth elements, adding an economic dimension to the US interest in Greenland.

Trump's push to acquire Greenland dates back to his first presidency, when his interest in buying the territory became public in 2019. He revived the idea before returning to office, declaring in December 2024 that “the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity.” Greenlandic leaders have repeatedly rejected the idea that the territory is for sale.

The new security agreement marks a shift from that confrontation toward a framework for expanded US military involvement while formally retaining Danish sovereignty.

The deal also places Greenland's security more firmly within the wider NATO and Arctic defence framework, according to officials and reporting around the agreement.

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Trump Greenland PactUS military presence in GreenlandUS Denmark relationsArctic security agreementDenmark Greenland sovereigntyNATO defense frameworkTrump acquisition of Greenland

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