Trump Announces Permanent US Security Control Over Greenland in Deal With Denmark

President Donald Trump announced Friday that the United States has reached an agreement with Denmark and Greenland granting the US "permanent control over security, and all other needs" in Greenland, declaring in a Truth Social post that the deal completely addresses "ALL" of Washington's concerns. Trump said his administration would "immediately" begin expanding the US military presence on the mineral-rich Arctic territory, which is home to roughly 56,000 people. The agreement ends a months-long diplomatic standoff that had strained relations with a NATO ally after Trump repeatedly threatened to seize the island by force.

The deal stops well short of full US annexation. Danish officials said the agreement is not yet final and described it as expanding Washington's role on the island rather than transferring sovereignty. The accord bans non-NATO military bases in Greenland and limits adversarial nations from making investments there, addressing key US strategic concerns in the Arctic region without ceding Danish or Greenlandic control of the territory.

The resolution comes after months of quiet back-channel negotiations between US, Danish, and Greenlandic officials. Earlier this year, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had warned NATO allies that "some countries would fail" a six-month Pentagon review of the US military presence in Europe, underscoring how seriously Washington viewed its Arctic security demands. The Greenland agreement now settles one of the most disruptive disputes within the alliance ahead of the UN General Assembly.