Denmark, Greenland and the United States have signed an agreement on security interests that will expand the US military presence on the Arctic island and restrict the role of rival powers.
US President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, signed the deal on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Trump had already announced a breakthrough in the dispute over Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, on his platform Truth Social on Friday.
The agreement is designed to strengthen the US military footprint in Greenland while limiting the presence of geopolitical rivals. In his address to the UN General Assembly, Trump said the United States would build “two enormous military bases.”
The US President said at the signing ceremony that the agreement would lead to a fantastic long-term relationship.
Under the terms of the agreement, Greenland would remain within NATO if the island were to become independent. Countries outside the alliance would be barred from establishing manned or unmanned military installations there.
The three parties also agreed to work together to counter espionage in the region. The agreement has no expiry date.
“This deal ensures that our adversaries will not gain control or a significant role in Greenland,” Frederiksen said at the ceremony.
She added that "the agreement recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our Kingdom [Denmark] and the Greenlandic people's right to self-determination.”
Nielsen described the deal as “historic” and said it was a “win-win-win situation” for all three parties.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the agreement would strengthen collective security and called it “essential” for both Europe and North America.
