President Donald J. Trump has announced a sweeping new security agreement involving the United States, Denmark and Greenland that he says will give Washington a permanent role in controlling security operations in Greenland while preventing American adversaries from establishing a strategic foothold on the Arctic island.
Trump announced the development on Friday, September 18, saying the agreement would allow the United States to maintain and expand its military presence in Greenland and prevent rival nations from establishing military bases or making certain sensitive investments without U.S. approval.
According to Trump, the arrangement has no expiration date and is designed to address long-standing American national security concerns surrounding Greenland and the increasingly important Arctic region.
However, the agreement does not transfer ownership of Greenland to the United States. Danish and Greenlandic leaders have emphasized that the framework preserves the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark as well as Greenlanders’ right to determine their own future.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the expected agreement would strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic while also respecting sovereignty and Greenlandic self-determination.
BREAKING: President Donald J. Trump announces complete and permanent American security control over Greenland, and excludes any adversary from Greenland and the surrounding region. pic.twitter.com/MVuT4yAfG5
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 18, 2026
The deal is expected to expand America’s ability to operate militarily in Greenland while restricting military activity by non-NATO countries and limiting sensitive investments linked to strategic competitors such as China and Russia.
Greenland has become increasingly important because of its Arctic location, military significance and position along potential air and maritime routes. The United States already operates Pituffik Space Base on the island as part of its defense infrastructure.
The agreement is expected to be formally signed around next week’s United Nations General Assembly meetings and remains subject to required Danish and Greenlandic approval processes.
The announcement marks a major development in Trump’s long-running push to expand American strategic influence in Greenland—while stopping short of placing the territory itself under U.S. sovereignty.
