Denmark says Greenland deal with Trump respects sovereignty and is ‘good for NATO and Europe’

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Denmark on Saturday hailed a “binding” deal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump to give Washington “permanent control” over Greenland’s security and bar Russian and Chinese bases from the Arctic territory.

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Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly insisted that the United States needed to control Greenland for strategic reasons, alarming NATO ally Denmark and sparking fierce pushback from the alliance.

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Denmark and Greenland — an autonomous Danish territory — both hailed the agreement and said they would sign it on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week.

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“A long period of uncertainty will hopefully be replaced by a binding agreement that strengthens security in the Arctic and North Atlantic,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on social media.

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The deal respected Denmark’s “red lines” and was “important” in light of a changed security situation, he said.

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‘Danish sovereignty’

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While the terms are still unclear, Denmark maintains that its sovereignty remains intact.

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Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the agreement with Washington “recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination”.

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It was “good for NATO and Europe”, she said.

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Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the deal “recognises Greenland’s interests” and “strengthens” its security.

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And French President Emmanuel Macron weighed in Saturday as well, saying the deal helps “to reaffirm Danish sovereignty” over the Arctic territory.

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In Greenland’s capital Nuuk, residents expressed ambivalence.

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“I don’t know exactly what the agreement is or what has been signed. But whenever the U.S. and Trump are mentioned, I have mixed feelings. I’m not entirely comfortable with how much attention Greenland has right now,” Soren Kreutzmann, a 29-year-old hairdresser, told AFP.

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“We hope the leaders have made a good agreement, because our country needs to be protected, both from the air and sea. Denmark had not given that enough attention for many years,” said Bibbi Kleist Jepsen, a 64-year-old educator.

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Trump hailed the deal as an “‘Infinite Life’ Agreement, there is no end!” Washington would immediately start building up a large military presence in the territory, he added.

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“From now on, no U.S. adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval.”

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While Trump presented the deal as a major triumph, Danish commentators said he had likely gained little.

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They noted that, under a 1951 defence pact updated in 2004, Washington was already able to ramp up its military presence on the island provided it informs Denmark and Greenland in advance.