Greenland, Denmark say Trump deal won't compromise sovereignty

Denmark and Greenland said on Saturday that any U.S. agreement would not compromise Greenland’s sovereignty after Donald Trump said the deal would give Washington permanent control over the Arctic island’s security. The United States, Denmark and Greenland said late on Friday they had reached an agreement for a significant U.S. military presence on Greenland, but key details remain unpublished. Denmark and Greenland hope the deal, expected to be signed during the UN General Assembly next week, will end months of uncertainty.

The agreement would prohibit U.S. adversaries from building their own bases on Greenland.

Key details have not been made public, including the scale of the U.S. military presence and whether formal power over foreign policy and resources would be ceded to Washington.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said the deal should strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic while respecting the Kingdom’s red lines.

Published Sep 20, 2026 8:06 am KST

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Greenland's government leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen, and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen visit Qoornoq, Greenland, Sept. 6. Ritzau Scanpix via AP-Yonhap

COPENHAGEN — Denmark and Greenland on Saturday said any agreement with the United States would not compromise Greenland's sovereignty, after President Donald Trump said the deal would give Washington "permanent control" over the Arctic island's security, leaving its precise scope unclear.

The United States, Denmark and Greenland said late on Friday they had reached an agreement for the U.S. to develop a significant military presence on Greenland, while prohibiting U.S. adversaries from building their own bases on the island.

Key details of the agreement have not been made public, including the scale of U.S. military presence in the self-governing Danish territory and whether any formal power over foreign policy and resources would be ceded to Washington.

Denmark and Greenland expressed hope that a deal, which is expected to be signed during the UN General Assembly next week, would end months of uncertainty triggered by Trump's threats to seize control of Greenland.

"Next week could be a good week — for Greenland, Denmark, and the United States," Denmark's Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in a statement posted on Facebook on Saturday.

"A time of uncertainty will hopefully give way to a binding agreement that strengthens security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic, and thereby our shared security within NATO and Europe — while respecting the (Danish) Kingdom's red lines," he said.

But some residents in Greenland's capital Nuuk expressed scepticism about closer ties with Washington.

"The U.S. should not control Greenland. I think it’s better if we have cooperation with NATO," said Jakob Ludvigsen, 65.

"Trump should stay far, far, far away from Greenland," Marianne Hansen, a 71-year-old retired chef, told Reuters in Nuuk. "He should not expect our children and grandchildren to become Americans in the future."

Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly insisted that Washington respect the sovereignty of the Danish kingdom and accept that Greenland is not for sale.

Houses stand in front of the mountain Sermitsiaq in Nuuk, Greenland, Sept. 19. Reuters-Yonhap

Trump's vision for Greenland deal

Trump said on Truth Social on Friday that under a deal, "the United States will FOREVER have the complete ability to do what is necessary in Greenland in order to secure and defend the security of Greenland, and the United States of America."

The deal "gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland," Trump said, adding that no adversary would ever be permitted to have a base or military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments there, without Washington's express written approval.

Trump made the announcement after Reuters exclusively reported that the US and Denmark were closing in on a deal.

"This is probably not the end of President Trump's ambitions for Greenland and certainly not the end of U.S. strategic interest in the territory and its resources," said Mikkel Vedby Rasmussen, a political science professor at the University of Copenhagen.

If Copenhagen cedes any formal authority to Washington, it raises the question in Greenland of whether "this is the beginning of replacing the colonial relationship with Denmark with a colonial relationship to the United States," he said.

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a Facebook post on Saturday that the proposed deal "recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination."

Trump's threats, which peaked in January, triggered a diplomatic crisis that strained relations within NATO and pushed Denmark and Greenland into negotiations aimed at defusing the pressure.

A NATO spokesperson on Saturday said the alliance welcomed the agreement, which would "help advance security, stability and cooperation in this vital region."

丹麦和格陵兰周六表示，任何与美国的协议都不会损害格陵兰的主权。此前，唐纳德·特朗普曾表示，该协议将使华盛顿永久控制这座北极岛屿的安全。美国、丹麦和格陵兰周五晚间宣布，三方已就美国在格陵兰保持重要军事存在达成协议，但关键细节尚未公布。丹麦和格陵兰希望这项预计将于下周联合国大会期间签署的协议，能够结束数月来的不确定性。

该协议将禁止美国的对手在格陵兰岛建立自己的军事基地。

关键细节尚未公开，包括美国军事存在的规模，以及是否会将外交政策和资源方面的正式权力移交给华盛顿。

丹麦外交大臣拉斯·勒克·拉斯穆森表示，该协议应在尊重丹麦王国红线的同时，加强北极和北大西洋的安全。

发布于2026年9月20日 上午8:06（韩国标准时间）

丹麦首相梅特·弗雷德里克森、格陵兰岛政府领导人詹斯·弗雷德里克·尼尔森和欧盟委员会主席乌苏拉·冯德莱恩于 9 月 6 日访问格陵兰岛库尔诺克。 Ritzau Scanpix 来自 AP-Yonhap

哥本哈根——丹麦和格陵兰周六表示，与美国达成的任何协议都不会损害格陵兰的主权。此前，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普表示，该协议将使华盛顿对这个北极岛屿的安全拥有“永久控制权”，但协议的具体范围尚不清楚。

美国、丹麦和格陵兰岛周五晚间表示，他们已达成协议，美国将在格陵兰岛建立重要的军事存在，同时禁止美国的对手在该岛上建立自己的军事基地。

该协议的关键细节尚未公开，包括美国在丹麦自治领土上的军事存在规模，以及是否会将任何正式的外交政策和资源控制权移交给华盛顿。

丹麦和格陵兰表示希望，预计下周在联合国大会期间签署的协议，能够结束特朗普威胁要控制格陵兰而引发的数月不确定性。

丹麦外交大臣拉斯·勒克·拉斯穆森周六在Facebook上发表声明称：“下周对格陵兰、丹麦和美国来说可能是个好兆头。”

“希望这段不确定时期能够促成一项具有约束力的协议，从而加强北极和北大西洋的安全，进而加强我们在北约和欧洲的共同安全——同时尊重（丹麦）王国的红线，”他说道。

但格陵兰首府努克的一些居民对与华盛顿建立更紧密的关系表示怀疑。

“美国不应该控制格陵兰岛。我认为我们最好与北约合作，”65岁的雅各布·路德维格森说道。

“特朗普应该离格陵兰岛远远的，”71岁的退休厨师玛丽安·汉森在努克告诉路透社，“他不应该指望我们的孩子和孙子将来会成为美国人。”

丹麦和格陵兰一再坚持要求华盛顿尊重丹麦王国的主权，并接受格陵兰不出售的事实。

9月19日，格陵兰岛努克，瑟米齐亚克山前矗立着房屋。（路透社-韩联社）

特朗普对格陵兰协议的设想

特朗普周五在 Truth Social 上表示，根据协议，“美国将永远拥有在格陵兰岛采取一切必要行动的完全能力，以确保和捍卫格陵兰岛和美利坚合众国的安全。”

特朗普表示，该协议“使美国永久控制格陵兰的安全以及所有其他需求”，并补充说，未经华盛顿明确的书面批准，任何对手都不得在格陵兰拥有基地或军事存在，或在那里进行敏感投资。

此前路透社独家报道了美国和丹麦即将达成协议的消息，随后特朗普宣布了这一消息。

哥本哈根大学政治学教授米克尔·韦德比·拉斯穆森表示：“这可能并非特朗普总统对格陵兰岛野心的终结，也肯定不是美国对该领土及其资源的战略利益的终结。”

他说，如果哥本哈根将任何正式权力让渡给华盛顿，就会在格陵兰引发这样的问题：“这是否意味着格陵兰将用与美国的殖民关系取代与丹麦的殖民关系？”

格陵兰总理延斯-弗雷德里克·尼尔森周六在Facebook上发帖称，拟议的协议“承认我们王国的主权和领土完整，以及格陵兰人民的自决权”。

特朗普的威胁在1月份达到顶峰，引发了一场外交危机，导致北约内部关系紧张，并迫使丹麦和格陵兰进行旨在缓解压力的谈判。

北约发言人周六表示，北约欢迎这项协议，该协议将“有助于推进这一重要地区的安全、稳定与合作”。