Donald Trump announces a security pact with Denmark and Greenland / The US will be able to expand its military presence in the Arctic

United States President Donald Trump announced on Friday the conclusion of an Arctic security pact with Denmark and Greenland, an agreement expected to strengthen the American military presence on the island and restrict adversaries’ access to the US. The full details of the agreement were not presented, and the signing is expected next week in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

Trump described the pact as “very important, historic and special” and said it would give the United States control over Greenland’s security. He announced that Washington would immediately begin developing a significant military presence in the area concerned. The US already operates the strategic base at Pituffik and, through NATO, has the right to expand its military infrastructure on the island.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic government leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the agreement recognizes Denmark’s sovereignty, the territorial integrity of the kingdom and Greenlanders’ right to self-determination. The pact will have to be approved through parliamentary procedures.

The announcement comes after years in which Trump threatened to buy or even annex Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory with approximately 56,000 inhabitants. The island is of major strategic importance, situated between North America and Russia, in a region that has become increasingly accessible amid the melting of Arctic ice.