Washington: The United States (US), Denmark and Greenland have reached an agreement to strengthen US military access to Greenland, marking a major development in Arctic security while falling short of Washington’s earlier push to acquire the island.
US President Donald Trump announced the agreement on September 18, saying it would give the US permanent access, basing and overflight rights and prevent US adversaries from establishing military bases or making sensitive investments in Greenland.
However, Denmark said the three governments expected to formally sign the agreement during the UN General Assembly in New York next week, after which it would still require the necessary national parliamentary procedures to enter into force.
Copenhagen said the arrangement would strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic while recognising Denmark’s sovereignty and Greenlanders’ right to self determination.
Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and occupies a strategically important position between North America and Europe. The US already has extensive military rights on the island under a 1951 agreement with Denmark.
The new arrangement would expand the American military presence while restricting potential military or sensitive economic activity by countries outside NATO.
A US State Department official told Reuters that non NATO countries would be prohibited from establishing bases in Greenland, while sensitive investments would require US approval.
The exact scale of any new US military deployment remains unclear. It is also not yet known whether additional American bases will be constructed. Greenland already hosts the US Space Force’s Pituffik Space Base in the northwest of the island.
The agreement comes after months of tension over Trump’s repeated calls for greater US control over Greenland. Greenlandic authorities have also emphasised the island’s interests and its right to determine its own future.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen said the agreement recognised Greenland’s interests and its place in international cooperation, while Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said it preserved the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark.
The agreement shifts the Greenland dispute from the question of US ownership towards military access and Arctic security.
It could give Washington a stronger strategic position in the Arctic while leaving Greenland under Danish sovereignty and keeping the island’s future political status an open question.
