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.
