(AFP) – 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. 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.
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. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Saturday that the potential signing meant “next week could be a good week.” “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. He added that the deal, which he said respected Denmark’s “red lines,” was “important” in light of a changed security situation.
But the terms of the deal are uncertain, and Denmark maintains its sovereignty remains intact.
– ‘Permanent control’ –
In a statement, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described the deal as “an agreement which at the same time recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination.” “I am pleased to announce that the United States of America has entered into an Agreement with The Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland, that gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.
“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.” The 80-year-old said it was an “‘Infinite Life’ Agreement, there is no end!” and said Washington would immediately start building up a large military presence in the territory.
Trump has repeatedly warned about 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. “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.
At the Davos economic forum this past January, Trump reached a purported deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte over the future of Greenland, the terms of which have remained vague. 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.” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the deal with the United States “strengthens” the territory’s security.
– NATO tensions –
Trump gave no details about how the deal would work, and it was not clear if it was linked to or substantially different from the Rutte deal. 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.
A 1951 defence pact, updated in 2004, already allows Washington to ramp up troop deployments and military installations on the island provided it informs Denmark and Greenland in advance. 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. 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.
– Camille BAS-WOHLERT, with Danny KEMP in Washington
© 2024 AFP
