U.S. President Donald Trump says the United States has reached an agreement with Denmark and Greenland that would give Washington “permanent control” over Greenland’s security, following months of tensions over his push for greater U.S. control of the Arctic territory.
Trump announced the agreement on Friday, saying it would give the United States the ability to secure and defend Greenland while preventing U.S. adversaries from establishing military bases, maintaining military forces or making sensitive investments on the island without American approval.
The announcement marks a significant development in a dispute that has strained relations between Washington and Copenhagen. Trump has repeatedly argued that Greenland is strategically important to U.S. national security because of its location in the Arctic and concerns about potential Russian and Chinese activity in the region.
However, Denmark and Greenland have emphasized that the agreement does not transfer sovereignty over Greenland to the United States. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the arrangement recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, as well as Greenlanders’ right to self-determination.
Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark and has its own government, while Copenhagen retains responsibility for areas including foreign and defense policy.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen also welcomed the agreement, saying it would strengthen the security of Greenland, Denmark, the United States and the wider Western alliance.
The agreement is expected to be formally signed on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week. It will still require parliamentary procedures in Denmark and Greenland before it can take effect.
Trump also said the United States would begin developing plans for a larger military presence in Greenland. The U.S. already maintains a significant military installation at Pituffik Space Base and has longstanding defense rights on the island under agreements with Denmark.
The latest deal appears to fall short of Trump’s earlier calls for the United States to acquire Greenland outright. Danish and Greenlandic officials have instead presented it as a security arrangement that preserves sovereignty while strengthening cooperation in the Arctic.
The agreement could ease some of the tensions that emerged after Trump previously threatened to pursue control of Greenland, but questions remain over the exact terms of the pact and how it will be received by Greenland’s population.
The development highlights the growing strategic importance of the Arctic, where melting sea ice, emerging shipping routes, natural resources and military competition have increased international attention.
Swifteradio.com
