US, Denmark, Greenland seal major Arctic security agreement

US President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen have signed a trilateral security agreement aimed at expanding the US military presence on Greenland and easing tensions over the strategically located Arctic territory.

The agreement was signed in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly during a trilateral ceremony following Trump’s address to world leaders, Reuters reports.

The deal falls short of Trump’s earlier calls for the United States to acquire Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Instead, it provides for an expanded US military footprint on the island, while maintaining Denmark’s sovereignty and Greenland’s right to self-determination.

Greenland’s strategic location and mineral resources have made it a focus of growing geopolitical competition in the Arctic, particularly amid concerns over Russian and Chinese activity in the region.

Speaking before the signing ceremony, Trump said the agreement gives the United States “permanent control over security and all other needs on that territory.”

The agreement is also expected to expand US military facilities on Greenland. Reuters reported that, in addition to the existing Pituffik Space Base, two further military sites are expected to be opened at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig.

Frederiksen described the agreement as “a deal that can ‘last forever’,” saying it underscores the importance of the NATO alliance while respecting Greenland’s right to self-determination.

By Vafa Guliyeva