President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that the United States has reached an agreement with Denmark and Greenland granting Washington "permanent control over security, and all other needs" on the island at no cost to the US [1][3][24]. The announcement on September 18, 2026 comes after months of Trump's public demands to acquire the Danish territory, including a March statement that he would not rule out military force [9][14]. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen confirmed that the three governments expect to sign the agreement on the margins of next week's UN General Assembly, subject to parliamentary procedures [3][19][20].
Trump described the agreement as one of "indefinite life, no end" that guarantees the US will "FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland" to secure and defend the island and the United States [5][6][9]. He said the US would "immediately begin" developing a large military presence there and that no US adversary may establish a base, maintain a military presence, or make sensitive investments in Greenland without express written American approval [13][22][23]. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the deal "historic" and a "huge win," stating that Greenland "will forever be part of the strategic defense area of North America" and that the agreement "permanently and completely addresses our national security concerns in Greenland" [4][6][11]. A US State Department official said the pact bars China and Russia from bases, troops, and sensitive-sector investment in Greenland, and that US access, basing, and overflight rights would persist even if Greenland becomes independent [16][17][21]. Former White House aide Katie Miller posted a map of Greenland covered in the American flag with the caption "ITS [sic] HAPPENING" [12].
Frederiksen described the agreement in different terms, saying it "strengthens security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic area" and is "good for NATO and Europe" [4][18][23]. She stated that the agreement "recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people's right to self-determination" [20][23][25]. Nielsen said the agreement "ensures and strengthens the security of Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark, the United States, and the Western alliance" and "recognises Greenland's interests and our place in the international cooperation" [7][15][25]. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen had said earlier this year that American ownership of Greenland remained a red line for Denmark [35]. The Danish government stated that once signed, the agreement must follow necessary parliamentary procedures before entering into force [8][19].
Trump's framing of "permanent control" and the Danish-Greenlandic framing of "shared security" describe the same agreement in different terms, with Trump speaking of permanent US control over security and all other needs [3][18] and Frederiksen speaking of shared security that recognises sovereignty and self-determination [23][25]. No text of the agreement has been released [4][21][27].
Analysts and several outlets questioned what is genuinely new in the agreement. The 1951 US-Denmark defence agreement, updated in 2004, already granted US forces near-total basing and overflight rights in Greenland [15][21][33]. Turkish outlet Bianet framed Trump's announcement as presenting a renewal of already-existing military rights as a new seizure of control [36]. International law professor Anne Peters of the Max Planck Institute said no text exists and that "it is still not an agreement," noting that NATO could not itself conclude basing or raw-materials agreements and that existing arrangements already cover most US needs [34]. She said Greenlanders hold the right of self-determination, including over their natural resources: "Die Grönländer sind ein eigenes Volk und haben das Selbstbestimmungsrecht — auch über ihre natürlichen Ressourcen" (Greenlanders are a distinct people and have the right of self-determination — including over their natural resources) [34].
Atlantic Council analyst Imran Bayoumi said Washington "could have achieved a lot of these objectives through diplomacy and dialogue without straining the broader U.S.-NATO relationship" and that Americans "really underestimate how damaging it was for the image of the United States in Europe" [11][15]. The existing Pituffik Space Base on the island already monitors space activity and missile launches [8]. The Greenlandic party Inuit Ataqatigiit, in a parliamentary statement, rejected any sale or transfer of Greenland, stating that "Grønland vil aldrig blive sat til salg og kan aldrig nogensinde overdrages andre" (Greenland will never be put up for sale and can never be transferred to others) and that the Kalaallit do not wish to be Danes or Americans [26]. A South Korean outlet quoted an unnamed international diplomacy expert describing the agreement as control over Greenland at the level of bloodless occupation and "a major turning point that reshapes the map of US global hegemony strategy" [31].
The three governments expect to sign the agreement during the upcoming UN General Assembly session in New York [3][19][20]. After signature, the agreement must pass parliamentary procedures in both Copenhagen and Nuuk before it can enter into force [5][11][18]. The New York Times reported that Washington wants three new bases in southern Greenland and has discussed using the territory for the "Golden Dome" missile shield [17]. Whether new US bases will be built and how the deal differs in substance from the 1951 agreement remain unclear [6][27][28].