President Donald Trump says Denmark has granted the United States permanent authority over Greenland’s security.
Securing control of the Arctic territory has been a defining objective of Trump’s second term. In a Truth Social post Friday, he declared that his administration had achieved a breakthrough.
Trump said Washington had reached an agreement with Denmark giving the US “permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland,” which he said would resolve “ALL of our many US concerns.”
The president did not explain what he meant by the phrase “all other needs.”
“At my direction, we worked with representatives of Denmark and Greenland to guarantee that the United States will FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the security of Greenland and the United States of America,” Trump wrote. He described the arrangement as an agreement with an “infinite life.”
He also claimed that no adversary of the United States would be allowed to establish a base, maintain a military presence or make sensitive investments in Greenland without Washington’s explicit written authorization.
“Additionally, 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,” Trump said.
Trump said the US would “immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland,” adding that American officials would work with Greenland’s residents on the project’s design and construction.
President Donald Trump said Friday that the United States had secured “permanent control of security, and all other needs, in Greenland”
Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance tour a US military base in Greenland in March last year. The visit came as Trump intensified his campaign to acquire the island
Trump has portrayed the effort to acquire Greenland as essential to US national security
Trump insisted the arrangement would not cost the United States anything. A senior official told Fox News that the agreement would remain valid even if Greenland eventually became an independent nation.
“This solution is a great one for the United States of America, Denmark, Greenland, and all of our Allies,” Trump wrote.
He said the US looked forward to cooperating with the people of Denmark and Greenland on what he called a “magnificent future” for the strategically important territory. “We will be very protective of it!” he added.
“This is a dream come true for the United States of America, one that is very important, historic, and special,” Trump concluded.
Under the reported agreement, Denmark and Greenland would no longer need to approve new US military facilities on the island, according to Fox News.
The arrangement would also restrict sensitive investments in Greenland—including telecommunications networks, undersea infrastructure, ports and critical-mineral projects—to the United States and its allies.
However, the agreement does not transfer ownership or overall control of Greenland to the United States.
The announcement follows Trump’s threat just months ago to use US forces to seize the island, an idea he has promoted for years.
American, Danish and Greenlandic officials have also held private talks focused on keeping US troops on the island indefinitely, cooperating on the extraction of resources such as rare earth minerals and oil, and potentially reopening a US military facility built during the Second World War on Greenland’s southern coast.
Trump has framed his push to acquire the island as a national security imperative, citing Greenland’s strategic position in the Arctic and China’s and Russia’s ambitions to expand their presence in the region.
Northern Command boss General Gregory M Guillot has noted how Greenland could host part of an array of radar stations in the Arctic that includes outposts in Alaska and Canada.
He has also said that the US seeks a deepwater port and a base for US special forces on the island.
Trump first floated the idea of bringing Greenland into the US sphere of influence during his first term in 2019.
Since returning to the office, he has repeatedly doubled down on that.
Yet
Secretary of State Marco Rubio commended the president for reaching the agreement.
‘This historic deal is a huge win for the United States and the American people,’ he said in a statement to Fox News.
‘Thanks to President Trump’s vision and leadership, this historic agreement permanently guarantees US security interests in the Arctic at zero cost to the US taxpayer,’ Rubio noted. ‘Greenland will forever be part of the strategic defense area of North America and exclude any adversaries from it and the surrounding area.’
‘This deal permanently and completely addresses our national security concerns in Greenland,’ he added.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
