Trump signs a security agreement with Denmark and Greenland that expands the U.S. military presence in the Arctic

U.S. President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen signed a trilateral security agreement in New York on Tuesday that significantly expands the United States’ military presence in Greenland and the Arctic.

The document provides for the modernization of Pituffik Space Base and the construction of two U.S. military bases in Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig. The United States will also be able to establish additional defense zones, while U.S. aircraft will have the right to fly over and land anywhere in Greenland.

The agreement prohibits non-NATO countries from establishing bases or maintaining a permanent military presence in Greenland. It also restricts foreign investments that could enable access to sensitive information or pose a threat to national security.

At the same time, the document reaffirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and recognizes the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination. The agreement has no expiration date and includes provisions that would also apply in the event of Greenland’s potential independence, under which it would have to remain in NATO.

The signing marks an attempt to bring to an end the diplomatic crisis caused by Trump’s pressure to take control of Greenland. The island is of major strategic importance because of its position between North America, Europe and the Arctic, while Pituffik plays a key role in missile warning and space surveillance.