US signs Greenland defense deal with Denmark

President Donald Trump signs updated defense deal with the Kingdom of Denmark over military presence in Greenland that tucks NATO alliance closer in defending the U.S. northern frontier.(CN) — The cold wind between the U.S., Greenland and Denmark warmed as President Donald Trump inked an agreement that will widen the American footprint on the Arctic island in a brief ceremony held at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.The new agreement builds on an existing defense deal from the 1950s that already secured U.S. military presence just by notifying the Kingdom of Denmark. Tuesday’s signature commits to the establishment of two additional U.S. bases in Greenland.It also cements Greenland’s so-called “red lines” that secure national sovereignty of the Arctic island and its right to self-determination in a future independence from Denmark.Only NATO members will be allowed to establish military installations on the island moving forward. The agreement does not disclose an expiry date, and demands Greenland’s commitment to the NATO alliance should it become an independent nation.Greenlandic and Danish diplomats uttered a sigh of relief as the ink dried in the hopes that Trump, who has pushed for a U.S. takeover of Greenland in the name of national security, will hold back pressure that has made children in Greenland anxious over a potential American invasion.On Tuesday, Trump called the process a “tremendous journey with amazing people,” referring to Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen, who called the agreement a “milestone” in the transatlantic cooperation.Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and Greenland's Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt speak at a news conference at the Embassy of Denmark, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)Tuesday’s agreement is the result of closed-door talks between U.S., Greenlandic and Danish diplomats. The high-level working group was established in January after an hourlong meeting in Washington that saw Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio dealing with former foreign minister of Greenland Vivian Motzfeldt and Danish foreign affairs minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.The past years of Trump’s takeover pressure have become a testament to Greenland’s democracy and diplomatic ability.In the Greenland 2025 election, a majority of Greenlanders backed parties that advocated for slowing independence talks with Copenhagen while inviting U.S. business to invest in the country. Greenland has proved resilient amid Trump’s storm, said researcher Ulrik Pram Gad of the Danish Institute of International Studies, a specialist in Greenland-Denmark relations, in an email.“Both the people of Greenland and their politicians and diplomats have shown themselves surprisingly resilient; doing an election uncompromised and insisting on a combination of sticking steadfast to principles while flexibly inviting the U.S. to engage in relation to real security problems,” said Gad.Greenland is the world’s largest island and sits on the shortest missile path between Washington and Moscow. That gives the nation a vital geographical role in Trump’s dream of the Golden Dome project, a massive U.S. missile defense system inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome.With climate change sea paths in the Arctic are becoming ice-free, introducing effective commercial routes and making it easier to harvest rare earth minerals and metals important for green technology, which most likely can’t be processed without China, a experts say.Operating as a semi-autonomous country, Greenland is part of the Danish Commonwealth. Questions surrounding security and foreign affairs are officially determined Denmark, a U.S. ally, but Greenland has joined talks on such matters in recent times.The Arctic island and its population of close to 57,000 people are determined to gain full independence from Denmark, though there’s been no agreement on when. Greenland is a part of NATO through Denmark’s membership.President Donald Trump holds the charter during a signing ceremony on his Board of Peace initiative at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)After taking office in 2025, Trump declined to rule out using military force to absorb Greenland into U.S. territory, throwing NATO into its biggest existential crisis ever.The president’s stance on using military force changed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this past January after Greenland officially expressed a wish to remain part of Denmark, declining any offer to become part of the U.S.Rasmussen called the conflict a “destructive chapter in an otherwise strong transatlantic cooperation between Denmark, Greenland and the U.S.” in a social media post on Tuesday, calling a high-level working group the “strongest weapon” in Denmark’s arsenal.Tuesday’s signed agreement must be signed off by the parliaments of Greenland and Denmark before taking effect.Courthouse News correspondent Lasse Sørensen is based in Copenhagen, Denmark.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads