The U.S., Denmark and Greenland are set to formally sign President Trumps new Greenland security agreement on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday, cementing permanent U.S. military rights on the strategically vital Arctic island after months of negotiations over Trumps push for greater American control.
Trump, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of Denmark and Prime Minister Jens-Frederick Nielsen of Greenland will meet Tuesday morning for a trilateral signing ceremony, a White House official told Fox News Digital.
The U.S. has held extensive military rights in Greenland for decades under a 1951 defense agreement, but administration officials say the new pact goes further by allowing Washington to establish additional military installations without separate Danish or Greenlandic approval, explicitly barring adversaries from establishing a military presence and creating a mechanism to block adversarial investment in sensitive sectors.
TRUMP DECLARES VICTORY IN HISTORIC DEAL WITH GREENLAND AS HE SECURES ‘PERMANENT’ US MILITARY RIGHTS
The agreement stops short of the territorial acquisition Trump had sought for much of the year, when he repeatedly argued that U.S. ownership of Greenland was necessary for national security and pressed Denmark to relinquish control of the strategically located Arctic territory.
Those demands sparked a diplomatic standoff with Copenhagen and Nuuk, where leaders insisted Greenland was not for sale and stressed that its future could be decided only by the Greenlandic people.
DENMARK VOWS TO DEFEND GREENLAND AFTER TRUMP REITERATES US SHOULD CONTROL TERRITORY
Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen retaining authority over foreign, defense and security policy while Greenland controls many of its domestic affairs, including mineral resources.
The new agreement instead leaves sovereignty unchanged while granting Washington expanded and permanent security rights. Frederiksen has emphasized that the pact recognizes “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom” as well as Greenlanders right to self-determination, even as Trump has characterized the agreement as giving the U.S. “permanent control” over Greenlands security.
For Greenland, Tuesdays signing is also intended to close a turbulent chapter that left residents of the sparsely populated island wondering how far Trump was prepared to go to bring it under U.S. control.
Greenland Foreign Minister Múte B. Egede said the agreement respects the governments longstanding “red lines,” including Greenlanders right to self-determination, while allowing Nuuk to deepen defense cooperation with the United States and other Western allies. But he acknowledged that Trumps earlier threats had taken a toll.
“The last nearly two years have been challenging for the Greenlandic population,” Egede told Greenlandic broadcaster KNR. “Many people have been uncertain. Uncertain about our future.”
Some Greenlanders remain wary as they wait to see the full agreement. Residents interviewed over the weekend expressed concern about how a larger American military footprint could affect life on the island, while Greenlandic politicians have urged the public to reserve judgment until the final text is signed and released.
Frederiksen, meanwhile, sought Monday to draw a
