Trump claims permanent Greenland security role on Sept 18
Denmark says the Greenland agreement preserves sovereignty and must be signed and undergo parliamentary procedures before taking effect
- On September 18, Donald Trump announced an agreement with Denmark and Greenland that he claims grants the U.S. a permanent security role, including the ability to expand its military presence.
- The arrangement would reportedly give the U.S. permanent access and basing rights, and block adversaries like Russia and China from establishing a military presence or making sensitive investments.
- While Trump claimed permanent control, Danish officials stated the agreement respects their sovereignty and does not transfer it to the U.S.
- The agreement is not yet in effect, as it still requires formal signing and parliamentary procedures by the involved governments.
US President Donald Trump announced an agreement with Denmark and Greenland on Friday (September 18, 2026), claiming it would give Washington permanent control over Greenland’s security and allow a larger American military presence. Denmark said the arrangement respected Danish sovereignty and would require formal signing and parliamentary procedures before taking effect.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the US would “FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland” to defend both Greenland and the United States. Trump described the arrangement as free of charge and without an expiry date.
Under Trump’s account, countries Washington regarded as adversaries would be prevented from establishing a military presence on the island or making sensitive investments without US approval. Trump also said Washington would work with Greenland to expand the American military presence, without detailing its scale.
Denmark says agreement preserves sovereignty
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the agreement would strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic while respecting the Kingdom of Denmark’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as Greenlanders’ right to determine their own future. The arrangement would not transfer sovereignty over Greenland to the US.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the agreement recognised the island’s interests and place in international cooperation. “This benefits us all,” Nielsen said.
In a September 18 statement, the Danish prime minister’s office said the three governments expected to sign during the United Nations General Assembly in New York the following week. The agreement would then have to undergo the necessary parliamentary procedures before entering into force.
The arrangement falls short of Trump’s long-standing ambition to acquire Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Reuters had reported earlier on September 18 that negotiations were nearing a deal to expand the US military presence without transferring the island to Washington.
“This is a dream come true for the United States of America,” Trump wrote. Reuters interpreted Trump’s positive response as suggesting he might not revive his territorial claims in the near future.
US officials outline permanent access and investment restrictions
A State Department official, speaking anonymously to discuss specific terms, said the agreement would prohibit countries outside the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) from establishing bases in Greenland. Only the US and its allies would be permitted to make unspecified “sensitive investments”, the official said.
The State Department official also said the agreement would grant permanent US access, basing and overflight rights, which would continue even if Greenland became independent.
Bangkok Biznews, citing a State Department official, also described restrictions on non-NATO troop deployments and a mechanism to screen investments from Russia and China.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the agreement “permanently and completely” addressed Washington’s national security concerns regarding Greenland.
“Greenland will forever be part of the strategic defense area of North America and exclude any adversary from it and the surrounding area,” Rubio wrote.
Questions remain over new US bases
Whether the agreement would result in new American bases remained unclear on Friday night. Reuters noted that Trump’s Truth Social announcements about negotiations and agreements often provide limited context or detail.
The US already has nearly total overflight and basing rights under a 1951 treaty, and Greenland hosts an American Space Force base in the island’s remote northwest.
Imran Bayoumi, a former Pentagon official now with the Atlantic Council think tank, said allowing Washington to build bases without Danish or Greenlandic approval would represent a new development.
However, Bayoumi added, “it seems that Washington could have achieved a lot of these objectives through diplomacy and dialogue without straining the broader US-NATO relationship”.
Public reception in Greenland also remained uncertain. Independence aspirations exist among the island’s residents, who have previously objected to US efforts to assert control.
