Denmark says ‘binding’ US deal on Greenland won’t compromise sovereignty

Denmark has hailed a "binding" accord by United States President Donald Trump to provide Washington "permanent control" over Greenland's security and bar Russian and Chinese military bases from the Arctic territory.

Key points

• As it "strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic Area", denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen remarked it is "great for NATO and Europe".
• Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen remarked the agreement "recognises Greenland's interests" and is "to the benefit of us all".
• Trump has repeatedly cautioned of Russia and China trying to establish a foothold in Greenland as a strategic battle unfolds for supremacy in the warming Arctic region.
• Trump, who had previously remarked the US needs "ownership" of Greenland, unveiled that Washington would immediately start building up a sizeable military presence in the territory.
• I don't know exactly what the agreement is or what has been signed.

But Denmark and Greenland – an autonomous Danish territory – remarked on Saturday that any agreement with the US would not compromise Greenland's sovereignty, and the two countries would sign the agreement next week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

"A long period of uncertainty will hopefully be replaced by a binding agreement that strengthens security in the Arctic and North Atlantic, and thereby our shared security within NATO and Europe – while respecting the Kingdom's red lines, " Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen remarked in a social media post.

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.

Key details of the agreement ⁠have not been created public, including the scale of the US military presence in the self-governing Danish territory and whether any formal power over foreign policy and resources would be ceded to Washington.

As it "strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic Area", denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen remarked it is "great for NATO and Europe". 'I have mixed feelings'. But in Greenland's capital Nuuk, residents had mixed feelings.

"I don't know exactly what the agreement is or what has been signed. But whenever the US and Trump are mentioned, I have mixed feelings. I'm not entirely comfortable with how much attention Greenland has right now, " Soren Kreutzmann, a 29-year-old hairdresser, informed the AFP news agency.

As our country needs to be protected, both from the air and sea, "We hope the leaders have created a good agreement. Denmark had not given that enough attention for plenty of years, " stated Bibbi Kleist Jepsen, a 64-year-old educator.

"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", he remarked.

Trump has repeatedly cautioned of Russia and China trying to establish a foothold in Greenland as a strategic battle unfolds for supremacy in the warming Arctic region. 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 remarked.

For now, denmark says 'binding' US deal on Greenland won't compromise sovereignty remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.