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Trump says a Greenland security deal gives the US permanent basing rights
September 19, 2026
Trump announced an agreement with Denmark and Greenland granting the United States permanent access, basing and overflight rights on the island, expected to be signed next week.
Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Danish kingdom, and the US has kept a military presence there under a 1951 agreement, in an Arctic region where Russia and China are rival powers.
Key facts
- Officials serving now and others who have left told me that Washington worried Greenland, which was never a party to the 1951 agreement, might vote for independence or shift its loyalties and then curb American installations and access.
- “Next week could be a good week - for Greenland, Denmark, and the United States,” said Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.
- One statement read: “I don’t wish the United States to be present anywhere in the Danish Kingdom. I really don’t trust Donald Trump.”
- The pressure Trump applied reached its height in January, opened a rift among NATO allies, and left Denmark and Greenland searching for a negotiated way to ease it.
- Trump spoke after Reuters carried an account saying the United States and Denmark were closing on terms.
Reuters reports that Denmark and Greenland want to sign the agreement next week at the UN General Assembly, closing months of uncertainty that followed Trump’s threats to seize the island. CNN reports that a US official puts the terms at “permanent access, basing, and overflight rights” for the US on Greenland, and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the agreement “permanently and completely addresses our national security concerns in Greenland.” The Atlantic reports the same arrangement from another angle, with all three parties bound to a longer American presence, room for more bases, and use of the island’s airspace.
The outlets corroborate each other on how the moment arrived. Reuters reports that Trump’s threats peaked in January, triggering a diplomatic crisis that strained NATO relations and pushed Denmark and Greenland toward negotiations. The Atlantic reports that in Davos in January, at the World Economic Forum, Trump spoke of a framework for a future deal, then returned to the subject in later months, at one point arguing that the United States rather than Denmark should control Greenland. The New York Times asks in its coverage what Trump wants from Greenland, and Al Jazeera carries the same account of the permanent security control Trump claims.
Reception and cost sit alongside the terms. Reuters reports that Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the proposed deal on Facebook, saying “The agreement recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination,” and that a NATO spokesperson welcomed it on behalf of the alliance. Reuters also carries a flat refusal voiced inside the Danish Kingdom, “I don’t wish the United States to be present anywhere in the Danish Kingdom. I really don’t trust Donald Trump.” The Atlantic reports that the announcement seemed to please every party while costing a great deal, and that current and former US officials name a possible Greenlandic independence vote as a Washington concern. CNN reports Trump presenting the deal as a win, with the midterms looming and domestic backlash over the Iran conflict. The terms, the welcome and the cost are corroborated across CNN, The Atlantic and Reuters; what the signing produces next week is not yet on the record.
In a written statement, Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, said the accord “permanently and completely addresses our national security concerns in Greenland.”
Marco Rubio
Still developing
The agreement expected to be signed next week stands as the last development at the time of draft.
How settled the reporting is
Sources
- Reuters — Greenland, Denmark say US deal will not cede sovereignty - Internazionale
- cnn.com — Trump strikes Greenland deal with Denmark after threatening annexation
- The Atlantic — The Greenland Fiasco Stumbles to an End
- Al Jazeera — Trump says US has ‘permanent control’ of Greenland security: Does it?
Toggle read the full reports of 4 of the 5 outlets counted on this event. The other 1 are counted from their headlines and opening sentences.