(Headline USA) President Donald Trump announced Friday he has a deal with Denmark to bolster the U.S. military presence in Greenland after months of threatening to take the island by force — an agreement that also keeps the Arctic territory in Denmark’s hands.
Trump in a social media post announcing the deal said the emerging agreement “gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns.”
He added that with the agreement his administration would “immediately” begin the process of developing a larger military presence on the mineral-rich Danish territory.
The deal came after officials from U.S., Greenland and Denmark quietly negotiated for months behind the scenes, searching for solutions to address some of Trump’s security concerns about a territory of roughly 56,000 residents.
For Trump, the Greenland issue had largely been put on the back burner as he launched a military operation to oust former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power and joined with Israel to start a war against Iran.
BREAKING NEWS: I am pleased to announce that the United States of America has entered into an Agreement with The Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland, that gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2026
With the announcement of the pact, Trump is able to tout a foreign policy achievement ahead of the midterm elections. The six-month-old Iran conflict has reshaped the race, undermining Trump’s campaign pledge to steer clear of foreign conflicts and challenging Republicans as they cling to narrow majorities in Congress.
The office of Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said the deal will be signed by all three governments next week during the United Nations General Assembly, but parliamentary action is still needed by the Danish and Greenland governments before it can be enforced.
In a statement she said “the agreement recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Greenland and Denmark and upholds both people’s right “to self-determination.”
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the emerging deal benefits all three governments and “recognizes Greenland’s interests.”
The island is crucial to North America’s defense
The U.S. has long had a military presence in Greenland, holding several bases and installations through the Cold War before dialing back its presence.
The U.S. still operates the remote Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, which was built after the U.S. and Denmark signed the Defense of Greenland Treaty in 1951. It supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations for the U.S. and NATO.
Greenland sits off the northeastern coast of Canada, with more than two-thirds of its territory lying within the Arctic Circle. That has made it crucial to the defense of North America since World War II, when the U.S. occupied Greenland to ensure it didn’t fall into the hands of Nazi Germany and to protect vital North Atlantic shipping lanes.
Despite Trump’s repeated aggressive comments toward Denmark about Greenland, Danish officials had repeatedly made clear that they stood ready to work with the U.S. to expand the American military presence and strengthen U.S. commercial interests in Greenland.
Still, Trump’s repeated demands for Greenland and threats to take it by force rattled the NATO alliance and discomfited European allies, said Imran Bayoumi, an associate director at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security.
“I think Americans really underestimate how damaging it was for the image of the United States in Europe,” he said. “I think Greenlanders, Danes, Europeans saw this as a real attack on their sovereignty, and it’s going to take a lot of work to repair.”
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
