Trump claims permanent control in Greenland as allies await the text

Donald Trump says the United States has secured “permanent control” over security in Greenland. Denmark says the three governments have only reached an agreement in principle, which is due to be signed next week and will not take effect until parliamentary procedures are completed. ^{1 2}

• Trump says the agreement gives Washington permanent control over Greenland’s security and allows the US to expand its military presence. ¹
• Denmark says the deal is still expected to be signed at the United Nations General Assembly next week. ²
• The agreement is not yet public, so its legal powers, duration and limits remain unknown.
• Danish and Greenlandic parliamentary procedures must take place before it can enter into force. ^{1 2}
• The governments say Greenland’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and right to self-determination are preserved. ²

That gap matters. Trump has presented the announcement as the end of a dispute over who controls Greenland’s security. Copenhagen’s wording describes a future agreement, not an operating treaty. No full text has been released, and there is still no public answer to the central question: does “permanent control” mean expanded access for US forces, or a new American power to decide what happens on Greenlandic territory?

The reported bargain would block non-NATO military bases and restrict hostile states’ military presence and sensitive investments, according to an unnamed State Department official cited by the Associated Press. The US already operates Pituffik Space Base under a 1951 defence agreement with Denmark, meaning the practical change could be an expansion of an existing arrangement rather than a transfer of sovereignty. ¹

But the political cost is harder to measure. Trump’s earlier threats to acquire Greenland, including refusing to rule out force, alarmed Denmark and other NATO allies. The new arrangement may strengthen the US military position in the Arctic while leaving Greenlanders and Danish lawmakers to approve terms negotiated under pressure from Washington. Until the document is published, the public cannot tell how much authority has changed hands — or what safeguards exist if future US administrations interpret the deal more aggressively.

• Associated Press report on the proposed agreement. ¹
• Danish Prime Minister’s Office statement, 18 September 2026. ²
• Danish government background on Greenland’s self-government and the division of defence responsibilities. ³

Footnotes

1. Associated Press, “Trump has a deal to build US military presence in Greenland while leaving island in Denmark’s hands” ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. Danish Prime Minister’s Office, “Expected agreement on strengthened security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic Area” ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

3. Danish Prime Minister’s Office, “Greenland” ↩