US President Donald Trump, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Denmark’s Overseas Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, and Greenland’s Minister for Overseas Affairs Mute B. Egede pose collectively throughout a trilateral signing occasion relating to a deal on Greenland’s safety, in the course of the 81st United Nations Normal Meeting (UNGA), in New York Metropolis, US, September 22, 2026.
| Picture Credit score:
KYLIE COOPER
United Nations President Donald Trump has signed an settlement with Denmark and Greenland aimed toward strengthening Arctic and North Atlantic safety, easing tensions over his repeated requires Greenland to grow to be a part of the USA.
The signing Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN Normal Meeting in New York comes days after Trump introduced the deal to bolster US army presence on the huge, icy island however hold it below Danish management. The governments supplied few particulars of the settlement earlier than the signing.
“That is super for Europe and for the USA and for everyone,” Trump mentioned simply earlier than the settlement was signed. “And for Greenland, it should be unimaginable.”
For months, Trump has expressed his need for Greenland to grow to be a part of the USA and issued threats to grab the semiautonomous territory from Denmark, a NATO ally. On Tuesday, he didn’t reply to questions on whether or not a US acquisition of Greenland was off the desk.
The US has had a presence in Greenland for a few years
Officers from the US, Greenland and Denmark negotiated for months behind the scenes, looking for options to deal with a few of Trump’s safety considerations in regards to the mineral-rich island.
Trump’s designs on Greenland strained relations inside NATO, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warning a US takeover would quantity to the top of the Atlantic alliance.
The standoff unsettled lots of Greenland’s roughly 56,000 folks and drove a wedge between the US and Denmark and its European Union companions, who stepped up safety workout routines on and financial help for the island.
Commerce and hopes for a useful resource seize have all factored into considerations about Greenland’s future: About two-thirds of its territory sits contained in the Arctic Circle, the place melting sea ice has opened further transport routes
The US was outstanding in Greenland for many years however, since 1945, the US army presence in Greenland has decreased from 1000’s of troopers on 17 bases and installations to roughly 200 troopers on the distant Pituffik House Base within the northwest. The bottom helps missile warning, missile protection and area surveillance operations for the US and NATO.
Addressing the United Nations Normal Meeting on Tuesday morning, Trump supplied a small window into particulars of the deal.
“We’ll instantly start the method of growing a big army presence within the applicable places,” he mentioned, together with “constructing two very main army bases.”
Denmark’s parliament permitted a invoice final yr to permit US army bases on Danish soil, widening a 2023 army settlement made with the Biden administration that gave US troops broad entry to air bases in Denmark.
Trump beforehand insisted the US wanted to “take Greenland,” to stop Russia or China from doing the identical. Although Trump mentioned he would somewhat “ make a deal ” for the territory, he added: “someway, we’ll have Greenland.”
All events current the settlement as a optimistic transfer
Mikkel Runge Olesen, a senior researcher on the Danish Institute of Worldwide Research, mentioned Greenland and Denmark come away from the take care of the potential for “ending the disaster with out compromising on sovereignty,” whereas the US will get a “considerably extra beneficial” deal than below the prevailing protection treaty.
However relations total between the US, Denmark and Greenland “are more likely to be haunted by this lengthy after Trump leaves workplace, and the disaster is more likely to have important and lasting destructive affect on transatlantic relations extra usually,” he mentioned. “The misplaced belief will take a long time to rebuild.”
Frederiksen mentioned Tuesday that the deal being signed was a “deal that may final endlessly,” labelling it nearly as good for the US, Greenland, Denmark and the broader NATO alliance.
“Mr President, you may have been very clear: You do not need adversaries to come back too shut,” she mentioned. “I totally agree.”
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland’s prime minister, referred to as it “a win-win-win settlement.”
“Your safety is our safety, and our safety is your safety,” he mentioned Tuesday.
Revealed on September 22, 2026