The United States and Denmark have announced a landmark security agreement over Greenland, with President Donald Trump declaring that it gives Washington "permanent control over security, and all other needs" on the strategically vital Arctic island. The deal, confirmed by both sides on Friday, is set to be formally signed on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week. It marks a significant de-escalation of a months-long diplomatic crisis triggered by Trump's repeated threats to seize or purchase Greenland by force — threats that had alarmed NATO allies and strained transatlantic relations.

Greenland is a vast, semi-autonomous territory administered by Denmark, located in the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean between North America and Europe. It occupies one of the most strategically sensitive positions on the planet: any Russian nuclear missiles targeting the United States would pass over it, and warming Arctic waters have opened new routes increasingly used by Russian and Chinese naval vessels. The US already operates Pituffik, a military base in Greenland's northwestern tip, under a 1951 defence pact that allows Washington to increase troop deployments provided it informs Copenhagen in advance.

Under the new agreement, the US gains permanent basing, access, and overflight rights, including the unilateral authority to build additional military installations without requiring approval from Denmark or Greenland. The deal explicitly bans non-NATO countries from establishing bases in Greenland and blocks adversaries — specifically Russia and China — from deploying troops or making investments in sensitive sectors of the island's economy. Crucially, the agreement has no expiry date and would remain in force even if Greenland were to become an independent country — something a portion of the island's roughly 57,000 inhabitants supports.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen welcomed the agreement, saying it "strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic area" while also recognising "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination." Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also endorsed the deal, stating it "recognises Greenland's interests and our place in international co-operation." Both emphasised that no sovereignty over Greenland had been transferred to the United States, and that the agreement must pass through parliamentary procedures before taking effect. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it a "historic deal" and a "huge win for the United States and the American people."

The agreement has been broadly welcomed on both sides of the Atlantic, with European officials expressing relief that Washington stopped short of territorial annexation. However, the full text has not been published, leaving some key details — including how significantly the deal differs from the existing 1951 pact — still unclear. Beyond defence, Greenland holds vast, largely untapped reserves of rare earth minerals critical to technologies from electric vehicles to mobile phones, and Trump has indicated US investment in those resources is also part of his broader vision for the island. The deal appears to secure American strategic and economic interests in Greenland without the formal annexation that had made it a flashpoint in transatlantic relations.