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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Friday that he had struck a deal with Denmark to give Washington \u201cpermanent control\u201d over Greenland\u2019s security that would bar Russia and China from setting up bases in the Arctic territory.<\/strong><\/p>\n Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly insisted that Washington needed to control Greenland for strategic reasons, alarming NATO ally Denmark and sparking fierce pushback from the alliance.<\/p>\n Denmark and Greenland \u2014 an autonomous territory controlled by Copenhagen \u2014 both hailed the deal and said they would sign it on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week.<\/p>\n But the terms of the deal remain uncertain, and Denmark maintains its sovereignty remains intact.<\/p>\n In a statement, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described the deal as \u201can agreement which at the same time recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people\u2019s right to self-determination.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am pleased to announce that the United States of America has entered into an Agreement with The Kingdom of Denmark, and Greenland, that gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland,\u201d Trump said on his Truth Social network.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom now on, no US 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The 80-year-old said it was an \u201c\u2018Infinite Life\u2019 Agreement, there is no end!\u201d and said Washington would immediately start building up a large military presence in the territory.<\/p>\n \u2018Good agreement\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Trump has repeatedly warned about Russia and China trying to establish a foothold in Greenland as a strategic battle for supremacy in a warming Arctic unfolds, and the State Department left no doubt that they would not be allowed to do so.<\/p>\n \u201cThis agreement guarantees that China and Russia cannot have a base in Greenland, they cannot send troops to Greenland, and the necessary mechanisms are in place to prevent investment in sensitive sectors,\u201d a State Department official said.<\/p>\n At the Davos economic forum this past January, Trump reached a purported deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte over the future of Greenland, the terms of which have remained vague.<\/p>\n Frederiksen had said Monday that she was \u201coptimistic\u201d that ongoing discussions with the United States and Greenland since January could resolve the dispute.<\/p>\n She said Friday she was \u201cpleased that there is a prospect of a good agreement for Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States,\u201d adding that it was \u201cgood for NATO and Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the deal with the United States \u201cstrengthens\u201d the territory\u2019s security.<\/p>\n NATO tensions<\/strong><\/p>\n Trump gave no details about how the deal would work, and it was not clear if it was linked to or substantially different from the Rutte deal.<\/p>\n But several media outlets have reported that the United States wants to open three new military bases in southern Greenland, in addition to the Pituffik base it already has in the north of the territory.<\/p>\n A 1951 defense pact, updated in 2004, already allows Washington to ramp up troop deployments and military installations on the island provided it informs Denmark and Greenland in advance.<\/p>\n At the height of the crisis, Trump would not rule out using force to seize the territory of 57,000 inhabitants, sowing anxiety within the EU and NATO.<\/p>\n Since then, tensions have cooled somewhat, and in an apparent move to assuage Trump, NATO launched a new mission to bolster security in the Arctic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n