In brief
In a landmark agreement signed at the UN General Assembly, the United States, Denmark and Greenland have reached a defence deal that permits Washington to establish new bases at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig. The pact updates the 1951 defence agreement, reaffirming Denmark’s sovereignty and Greenland’s right to self‑determination, and reinforces NATO’s Arctic presence. It ends months of tension and guarantees that all military specifications will receive mutual approval. The deal also bars non‑NATO states from establishing military installations on Greenland.
US, Denmark, and Greenland have signed a defence agreement that grants Washington the right to build new military bases at Narsarsuaq in the south and Mestersvig in the east.
This deal updates the 1951 agreement that already allowed the United States to station troops in Greenland, and it explicitly confirms Denmark’s sovereignty and the island’s right to self‑determination.
Trump, who had threatened to “take” Greenland over strategic concerns, said the new bases would strengthen the U.S. presence in the Arctic. The pact also bars non‑NATO states from establishing any military installations in Greenland.
While the specifics of the bases are still to be negotiated by all parties, the agreement ended months of tension and reinforced the partnership between the Arctic states and NATO.
The agreement was signed in a ceremony at the UN General Assembly in New York, amid a mix of optimism and ongoing diplomatic scrutiny.
