WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration says it has secured permanent U.S. military basing rights and expanded authority over foreign investments in Greenland under a Sept. 22 agreement with Denmark and Greenland, a move intended to strengthen American defenses in the Arctic and restrict strategic competitors’ access to the territory.
President Donald Trump described the agreement as giving Washington permanent control over security arrangements in Greenland without requiring additional spending by American taxpayers.
The agreement, as described by the White House, would prevent countries considered U.S. adversaries from establishing military bases or other military operations in Greenland without American approval. It would also require sensitive investments proposed by non-NATO countries to undergo a screening process.
The provisions would extend American influence over military and investment activity in a territory that occupies a strategic position between North America and Europe.
The administration characterized the arrangement as an expansion of the 1951 defense agreement between the United States and Denmark, which has governed American military access to Greenland for decades.
The White House said the agreement was signed by Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen.
“We are strengthening our common security, boosting our common deterrence, showing our adversaries who we are, and we are doing it together,” Frederiksen said, according to the administration’s account of the signing.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio identified missile defense and foreign investment as central concerns driving the agreement.
“If missiles were ever launched at the U.S., they would come over the Arctic Circle and over the Arctic region,” Rubio said in a WABC Radio interview, describing an American military presence in Greenland as an initial line of defense.
Rubio also argued that investment restrictions would help prevent strategic competitors from gaining control of critical infrastructure through commercial acquisitions.
The agreement followed a meeting in New York between Rubio and foreign ministers representing Canada, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
According to the administration, participants agreed that Arctic security required continued investment to strengthen regional defenses and deter strategic competitors.
Nielsen described the agreement as historic and emphasized the shared security interests of Greenland and the United States.
“Your security is our security and our security is your security,” Nielsen said.
The administration maintains that the arrangement protects American security interests indefinitely while preserving cooperation with Denmark and Greenland.
The published agreement also affirms Denmark’s sovereignty and Greenland’s right to self-determination. Its provisions for additional defense areas require consultation and mutual agreement, while its restrictions on sensitive foreign investments are to be implemented through Greenlandic authorities in cooperation with Denmark.
Although the agreement has no expiration date, it remains subject to the completion of parliamentary procedures in Denmark and Greenland before entering into force.
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