WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump announced that the United States has reached what he described as a permanent agreement with Denmark and Greenland, granting Washington sweeping and indefinite security rights in Greenland, including the ability to expand its military presence and prevent adversaries from establishing bases, deploying forces, or making sensitive investments there.
Trump said the agreement gives the United States “permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland,” while fully addressing what he described as longstanding American concerns in the strategically important territory.
“There will be NO COST to the United States!” Trump wrote in announcing the agreement.
“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,” he said.
Trump also said that under the agreement, no US adversary would be permitted to establish a base or military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments there, without express written American approval.
“For over 100 years, Presidents have known the strategic importance of Greenland, but NONE of them were able to do anything about it,” Trump said. “I am proud to be the President that permanently and conclusively addressed this very important situation.”
He described the arrangement as an “Infinite Life” agreement, declaring that “there is no end.”
Permanent access, bases, and overflight rights
A US State Department official provided additional details on the agreement, describing it as an unprecedented arrangement that permanently guarantees US security interests in the Arctic at no cost to the American taxpayer.
According to the official, the deal gives the United States permanent security control over Greenland and ensures that the territory will remain part of what Washington describes as the strategic defense area of North America.
The agreement explicitly guarantees the United States “the complete ability to do what it deems is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the American continent,” the official said.
Those authorities include permanent access, basing and overflight rights.
The agreement also allows the US military to increase the number of bases in Greenland as necessary, according to the State Department official.
Trump said the United States would “immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland,” adding that Washington would work with the people of Greenland on development and construction.
“This solution is a great one for the United States of America, Denmark, Greenland, and all of our Allies,” Trump said.
Non-NATO countries prohibited from building bases in Greenland
The State Department official said the agreement explicitly prohibits any non-NATO country from building a military base in Greenland or maintaining a troop presence there.
The official contrasted that with what the administration described as the previous status quo, under which countries outside NATO could potentially have been allowed to establish military facilities or send forces to Greenland.
The official singled out China and Russia, saying the agreement guarantees that neither country can establish a base in Greenland or deploy troops there.
It also creates mechanisms designed to prevent adversaries from investing in sensitive sectors.
According to the official, only the United States and its allies will be able to make sensitive investments in Greenland under the agreement, replacing what the administration described as a previous system under which adversaries could invest in sensitive areas without investment screening.
The deal, the official said, is intended to remain fully in force even if Greenland one day becomes a fully independent country.
Rubio: ‘A huge win’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the agreement “a huge win for the United States and the American people.”
“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 said.
“Greenland will forever be part of the strategic defense area of North America and exclude any adversary from it and the surrounding area,” he added.
Rubio said the agreement “permanently and completely addresses our national security concerns in Greenland.”
Trump framed the deal in similarly sweeping terms, calling it “a dream come true for the United States of America” and describing it as “very important, historic, and special.”
“We look forward to working with the wonderful people of Denmark and Greenland toward a magnificent future with respect to this large, and highly strategic, parcel of land,” Trump said. “We will be very protective of it.”