Greenland, Denmark, US to Sign Arctic Security Deal

By Al Mayadeen English

Greenland, Denmark, and the US are set to sign an Arctic and North Atlantic security agreement next week at the UN General Assembly.

Greenland, Denmark, and the United States expect to sign an agreement next week strengthening security in the Arctic and North Atlantic region, according to a statement from the Danish prime minister's office. The three governments are set to sign the deal on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, though it will still need to pass through parliamentary procedures before entering into force.

The agreement reportedly resolves a months-long diplomatic dispute triggered by US President Trump's repeated threats to take control of the mineral-rich Danish territory, which he argued was vulnerable to rivals including Russia and China given its strategic location.

Trump had at points threatened military action to seize Greenland, drawing sharp criticism from Denmark and other NATO members.

What each side says the deal includes

Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said the agreement comes at "no cost to the United States" and grants Washington "permanent control over security, and all other needs" in Greenland.

He said it also bars any US adversary from maintaining a military presence or making sensitive investments in Greenland without Washington's express written approval.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed the deal would strengthen shared security across the Arctic and North Atlantic, benefiting both NATO and Europe, while stressing that it "recognizes the Kingdom's sovereignty and territorial integrity and the Greenlandic people's right to self-determination."

She did not directly address the specific US control Trump described in his social media post.

Greenland's government chairman, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said in a statement that "it is encouraging that we are close to concluding an agreement" that safeguards security for Greenland, Denmark, the US, and the broader Western alliance, adding that it reflects Greenland's interests and its place in international cooperation.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the agreement a "historic deal," saying it represents a major win for the United States and that it "permanently and completely addresses our national security concerns in Greenland."

Months of US threats strained NATO cohesion

Trump revived long-standing US interest in acquiring Greenland after taking office in January 2025, and the pressure escalated sharply roughly a year later. In December 2025, he appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as a special envoy to Greenland, with Landry saying his goal was "to make Greenland a part of the US," a move Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called unacceptable, prompting Copenhagen to summon the US ambassador.

By early January 2026, Trump told reporters he wanted to revisit the matter "in 20 days," deepening fears in Copenhagen of an imminent US move. Frederiksen warned that any US military action against Greenland would represent an attack on a NATO ally, saying, "If the United States chooses to attack another NATO country militarily, then everything stops."

On January 14, 2026, Trump wrote on Truth Social that "NATO should be leading the way for us to get it," adding that Greenland's incorporation into the US was needed for the "Golden Dome" missile defense program and that "anything less than that is unacceptable."

Days later, on January 17, he announced a 10% tariff on Denmark and seven other European countries. Trump repeatedly declined to rule out using military force to take the territory, prompting Denmark, the UK, France, and Germany to deploy additional troops to Greenland and to begin treating the United States as a potential security threat for the first time in the alliance's history.

Trump ultimately reversed course on January 21, 2026, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, pledging not to use force or tariffs to annex the territory.