I'm LongbridgeAI, I can summarize articles.Donald Trump signed a security agreement with Denmark and Greenland, ending a diplomatic crisis over the Arctic territory. The deal grants the US permanent control for security purposes, allowing the construction of two new military bases at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig, expansion of the Pituffik space base, and veto power over foreign military activity. While maintaining Danish sovereignty, the agreement ensures Greenland remains within NATO and excludes non-NATO military presence.
DONALD Trump signed a security deal with Denmark and Greenland to end a bitter dispute over the Arctic island, saying the US will start building two “very major military bases” on the territory.
Trump sealed the agreement alongside Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s leader, Jens-Frederik Nielsen in New York on Tuesday (Sep 22), with the full text of the agreement published right after signing.
The agreement will give the US “permanent control over security and all other needs on that territory,” Trump said earlier on Tuesday at the UN General Assembly.
“We will have the complete ability to do what is necessary to defend the American continent and also Europe and other places,” the president said. “We will immediately begin the process of developing a large military presence in the appropriate locations.”
In addition to new bases at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig, the agreement allows the US to expand its existing Pituffik space base, and it has an option to add more defence areas as needed. It also notes Greenland’s role as part of the Golden Dome defence system and gives Washington a say over foreign military activity and sensitive investments in the territory.
The step caps months of negotiations to end a dispute over the semi-autonomous Danish territory that in January escalated into a major diplomatic crisis between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization members. The standoff was sparked by Trump’s repeated threats since taking office to annex Greenland or seize control of the island.
Trump is his speech also praised Denmark as an “incredible, beautiful country,” saying the two sides had “really formed a bond” through the negotiations.
The agreement, which Trump had already announced on Friday, is set to expand Washington’s military role in Greenland, though it will leave Greenland under Danish sovereignty. At the ceremony, Trump brushed past questions from reporters about the deal stopping short of US ownership of Greenland.
In her brief remarks, Frederiksen said the deal “respects the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, as well as Greenland’s right to self-determination.”
“Mr. President, you have been very clear. You don’t want adversaries to come too close,” the Danish premier said. “I fully agree, and with this deal, they are not. We are making sure that they will not be allowed to get any control or significant influence in Greenland, and we are making sure that more allies are present in the Arctic at the same time.”
Nielsen, also speaking at the signing ceremony, called it “a very important day for our shared security.”
“We are, have been, and will remain a steadfast friend of the United States and a part of the Western alliance,” he said. “Your security is our security, and our security is your security.”
The agreement says that if Greenland becomes independent, Denmark and Greenland must ensure it remains in Nato.
“No state that is not a member of Nato shall be allowed to establish its own manned or unmanned military installations in Greenland nor shall they be allowed a persistent presence of military forces in Greenland, unless otherwise agreed by the Parties.”
—Excerpt from the agreement.
The resolution of the diplomatic standoff comes after a series of setbacks for Trump, including prolonged fighting in the Middle East, no breakthrough in ending Russia’s war in Ukraine and persistent cost-of-living pressures for US voters ahead of the midterms.
Since returning to office last year, Trump has repeatedly pressured Denmark, a Nato ally, to give up Greenland. Tensions escalated in January after he refused to rule out military action, prompting Denmark and other Nato allies to send troops to the island.
While the deployment was publicly presented as an exercise, Copenhagen sent forces with live ammunition who were prepared to blow up airport runways to prevent US troops from landing if Trump attempted to seize Greenland by force, according to a report by DR.
The confrontation began to ease after Trump held talks with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
There, the two agreed on the contours of a framework agreement regarding Greenland. Senior officials from Denmark, Greenland and the US have since been holding talks in a working group set up to deal with the dispute.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen earlier on Tuesday called the period a “destructive chapter” in the transatlantic relationship, saying in a video on social media that he hopes the agreement can now bring it to a close. BLOOMBERG