Trump says a new Greenland security agreement will give Washington permanent access, expand US military operations and block adversaries from strategic investments, reports Asian Lite News Desk
US President Donald Trump has announced what he described as a permanent security agreement with Denmark and Greenland that would expand the American military presence on the Arctic island and restrict access by US adversaries.
Trump said the arrangement, announced on Truth Social, would give the United States permanent control over Greenland’s security, including authority over potential military activity and sensitive investments by countries considered adversaries.
The announcement did not include the text of the agreement, while Denmark and Greenland had not issued statements on the reported deal in the material supplied. Details on how any planned military expansion would be funded were also not provided, despite Trump’s assertion that there would be no cost to the United States.
“There will be NO COST to the United States!” Trump wrote, saying American representatives had worked with Denmark and Greenland at his direction to secure the arrangement.
Trump said the agreement would have no expiry and would continue to address US security concerns even if Greenland eventually became independent.
He also said the arrangement would prevent adversaries from establishing military facilities or making sensitive investments on the island without US approval.
“Additionally, from now on, no U.S. adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval,” Trump said.
The president announced plans to begin expanding the US military presence in Greenland but did not identify possible locations, give troop numbers or provide a construction timetable.
“We will immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland, of which there are many,” Trump said. “We will work with the people of Greenland in its development and construction.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the reported arrangement as a permanent guarantee of American security interests in the Arctic.
“Greenland will forever be part of the strategic defense area of North America and exclude any adversary from it and the surrounding area,” Rubio said.
“This deal permanently and completely addresses our national security concerns in Greenland.”
A State Department official, speaking on background, said the agreement included permanent US access, basing and overflight rights. The official said Washington would be able to increase the number of military bases on the island when required.
The official described the restrictions as an explicit ban on bases and troop deployments by countries outside NATO. China and Russia would be barred from establishing bases or deploying troops in Greenland, according to the account.
The reported agreement would also restrict sensitive investments by adversaries in sectors considered strategically important to US security. The State Department official said only the United States and its allies would be allowed to make such investments.
According to the official, the arrangement was reached this week and would remain in force if Greenland became independent. Trump said it would benefit Denmark, Greenland and US allies while providing Washington with long-term security guarantees in the Arctic.
The announcement builds on an existing US military relationship with Greenland that stretches back decades. Washington and Copenhagen signed a defence agreement in 1951, while an agreement signed at Igaliku in 2004 amended and supplemented that framework.
Greenland already hosts the US military’s Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base. Its radar systems support missile warning, missile defence and space surveillance, giving the island an established role in monitoring potential threats to North America.
