President Donald Trump on Friday announced a new security arrangement for the semi-autonomous Danish territory of Greenland.
In a Truth Social post, he said: “I am pleased to announce that the United States of America has entered into an Agreement with The Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland, that gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns. There will be NO COST to the United States!”
Greenland, Denmark, European nations, and NATO all voiced support for the deal. Denmark was a founding member of NATO. The agreement, which is expected to be formally signed at the United Nations this week, would allow for an expanded US military presence and ban non-NATO nations from establishing military outposts. The agreement will also facilitate “US investments on the cash-starved but resource-rich Arctic island.”
Trump has been interested in Greenland since at least his first term. In August 2019, he said his administration was looking into buying Greenland from Denmark for “strategic reasons.” At the time, both Greenland and Denmark voiced opposition to such an American acquisition. Even typically compliant European leaders pushed back on Trump.
In December 2024, President-Elect Trump said US ownership of Greenland was an “absolute necessity” for “National Security and Freedom throughout the World.” Trump continued to talk about acquiring Greenland in the weeks leading up to his second-term inauguration, and his son, Donald Jr., visited Greenland in January 2025. Trump discussed purchasing Greenland, but also said he was willing to do it the “hard way.”
As soon as Trump’s second term began, his administration began exploring a Greenland deal. This January, Trump announced a deal was in the works. At the time, Antiwar.com Opinion Editor Kyle Anzalone observed that the potential agreement “does not appear to be substantially different from the 1951 treaty that governs the US relationship with Greenland. Under the pact, the US is allowed to build new bases and expand its existing ones.”
The United States attempted to purchase Greenland in 1946, only to enter the 1951 security agreement when the purchase was rejected by Denmark.
In March, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth unveiled a “Greater North America” plan. He said:
“…President Trump has drawn a new strategic map from Greenland to the Gulf of America to the Panama Canal and its surrounding countries. At the Department of War, we call this strategic map the Greater North America. Why? Because every sovereign nation and territory north of the Equator, from Greenland to Ecuador and from Alaska to Guyana, is not part of the “Global South.” It is our immediate security perimeter in this great neighborhood that we all live in.”
This stoked fears that the United States might seize Greenland from Denmark, despite Trump’s earlier vow not to use military force. The new agreement avoids going down such a disastrous road.
