Trump Announces U.S. Security Deal Over Greenland

President Donald Trump announced Friday that the United States has struck a security agreement with Denmark and Greenland that he said gives Washington permanent control over the Arctic island's defense — while Copenhagen and Nuuk said the deal preserves Greenland's sovereignty.

Trump posted on Truth Social that the pact would guarantee the United States "will FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland" and that construction of a significantly larger American military presence would begin immediately. He called it an "'Infinite Life' Agreement" — with no expiration date — and said it comes at no cost to the United States.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it a "historic deal" and a "huge win," saying Greenland would remain permanently inside North America's strategic defense perimeter and that no adversary would be permitted to threaten it or the surrounding region.

A State Department official said the agreement prohibits non-NATO nations — naming China and Russia — from establishing military bases, deploying personnel, or making sensitive investments in Greenland without written U.S. approval. The official said Washington would be entitled to build additional military facilities on the island without separate sign-off from Greenland or Denmark, and that the pact would remain in force even if Greenland achieved independence.

Formal signing is expected at the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week. Both the Danish and Greenlandic parliaments must still ratify the agreement before it takes legal effect.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the deal "recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the kingdom and upholds Greenlanders' right to self-determination, calling it good for NATO and for European security in the Arctic. Denmark's foreign minister said a prolonged stretch of uncertainty would "hopefully be replaced by a binding agreement" strengthening collective security.

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the agreement "recognizes Greenland's interests" and strengthens the territory's security. A NATO spokesperson welcomed the announcement, saying it would advance security and stability in the region.

The deal follows more than a year of friction in which Trump repeatedly threatened to take the island by force, alarming European allies. The U.S. already holds sweeping basing and overflight rights in Greenland under a 1951 defense treaty, including authority to construct and maintain military facilities there.

Mikkel Olesen, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, said the provision blocking Russian and Chinese military bases was unlikely to be a major concession from Copenhagen or Nuuk, since neither government wanted to host such installations. He cautioned that many details remain undisclosed until the full text is released.

The official text had not been made public as of Friday. The deal makes no specific mention of U.S. mining rights in Greenland, which holds substantial deposits of rare-earth minerals including zinc, iron, uranium and graphite — resources Trump has publicly sought as China restricts its own exports.