Where is the US opening new military bases in Greenland?

At least two new US bases will be established as part of a deal with Denmark and Greenland.

Danish soldiers walk across the frozen tarmac after arriving at Nuuk airport, Greenland, on January 19, 2026 [AFP]

The US will open two military bases in Greenland as part of a deal with Denmark and Greenland, Reuters has reported.

The agreement is expected to be signed on Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. However, its text has not yet been officially publicised.

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The move follows a tense, months-long standoff with Denmark and Greenland following US President Donald Trump’s repeated comments that Washington intended to annex the autonomous Danish territory, which is strategic for its location in the Arctic and its significant mineral resources, including rare-earth metals.

As a diplomatic row brewed last year, Trump refused to rule out a military invasion, causing fear among Greenlanders, the majority of whom reject US control according to polls.

Tensions peaked in January this year when European members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) alliance began deploying more troops to the island to demonstrate military readiness and to deter Washington.

Following talks with NATO chief Mark Rutte, Trump backed down, saying he would not invade the island but would, instead, work towards a deal. He also withdrew his threat to impose 10 percent trade tariffs on eight European nations objecting to the US’s attempts to acquire Greenland.

Greenland and Denmark then began negotiations with the US to de-escalate the crisis. Here’s what we know:

People protest against Trump’s policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, January 17, 2026 [File: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP]

What’s the US-Greenland deal about?

On Friday, US President Donald Trump claimed the US had reached a deal with Denmark granting it “permanent control” over Greenland’s security “and all other needs”.

The deal allows the US a veto to prevent “adversaries” from establishing a military presence or making “sensitive investments” in Greenland without its approval, Trump said.

A US Department of State official cited by the BBC clarified that will mean non-NATO states will not be able to set up bases in Greenland and will be barred from “making investments in Greenland that could threaten the United States”.

Then, on Monday, news of the two new US bases emerged.

Over the weekend, Denmark and Greenland confirmed they had reached an agreement with the US that would be announced this week, but insisted that it would not compromise Greenland’s sovereignty.

In a post on Facebook, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said, “The agreement recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination.”

On Monday, in advance of the deal’s signing, Nielsen added that it would be a “significant moment following a difficult period … I look forward to signing the agreement and taking the next step with our interests, our security, and respect for our country as the clear starting point.”

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen also sounded an optimistic note in a weekend statement.

“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 Europe – while respecting the Danish kingdom’s red lines,” Rasmussen said.

Where will the two new bases be?

The US will re-establish one Cold War-era military base in southern Greenland, and set up another on the east coast under the coming deal, it has been reported.

The first base will be in Narsarsuaq, a settlement in southern Greenland whose population has dwindled to a few dozen people since the US closed its Bluie West One military base – also known as Narsarsuaq Air Base and Narsarsuaq Airport – in 1958.

The second base will be located in Mestersvig, a military outpost in the northeast of the territory that is currently used by the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol, a Danish special forces unit.

The US maintained a heavy military presence on the island during the Cold War when American nuclear bombers and nuclear early warning systems were based there. Some 150 troops remain permanently at the northern Pituffik Space Base monitoring for missiles.

What have the reactions been to the US deal?

Trump has argued that taking control of the island, which is on the most direct route between North America and Europe, is necessary to prevent Russia and China from ramping up their own presence in the Arctic, near the US’s northern border.

Analysts say that neither country has significant influence in the region. Nevertheless, the proposed deal stipulated that the US’s adversaries cannot similarly have any Greenland bases.

Russia, responding to the agreement, has said that it was not involved in discussions.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that “at present, the issue of cooperation in the Arctic is not on the agenda. The Americans and other Arctic states are refusing to cooperate with Russia.”

China, meanwhile, has not commented.

Earlier, over the weekend, a NATO spokesperson told reporters that the alliance was on board with the deal and said it would “help advance security, stability and cooperation in this vital region”.

根据与丹麦和格陵兰达成的协议，至少将建立两个新的美国军事基地。

2026年1月19日，丹麦士兵抵达格陵兰岛努克机场后，走过结冰的停机坪。[法新社]

据路透社报道，作为与丹麦和格陵兰岛达成的协议的一部分，美国将在格陵兰岛开设两个军事基地。

该协议预计将于周二在纽约联合国大会上签署。然而，协议文本尚未正式公布。

特朗普在新的美丹格陵兰安全协议中“妥协”，共四项，此为第一项。

特朗普称美国对格陵兰岛安全拥有“永久控制权”：真是如此吗？（共 4 条，第 2 条）

丹麦表示，美国就格陵兰岛问题达成的“具有约束力”的协议不会损害其主权（共4个名单中的第3个）。

特朗普的格陵兰协议（共 4 项）：一次形象上的胜利？（列表 4/4）

此前，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普多次表示，华盛顿打算吞并丹麦的自治领土格陵兰岛。格陵兰岛位于北极，拥有重要的矿产资源，包括稀土金属，因此具有战略意义。此后，美国与丹麦和格陵兰岛之间爆发了长达数月的紧张对峙。

去年，随着外交争端的酝酿，特朗普拒绝排除军事入侵的可能性，这引起了格陵兰人的恐慌，民意调查显示，大多数格陵兰人拒绝接受美国的控制。

今年 1 月，北大西洋公约组织（北约）欧洲成员国开始向该岛增派军队，以展示军事准备并威慑华盛顿，紧张局势达到顶峰。

在与北约秘书长马克·吕特会谈后，特朗普做出让步，表示不会入侵格陵兰岛，而是会努力达成协议。他还撤回了对八个反对美国吞并格陵兰岛的欧洲国家加征10%贸易关税的威胁。

随后，格陵兰和丹麦开始与美国进行谈判，以缓和危机。以下是我们目前了解到的情况：

2026年1月17日，人们在格陵兰岛努克的美国领事馆前抗议特朗普对格陵兰岛的政策。[图片：Evgeniy Maloletka/AP]

美国与格陵兰达成的协议内容是什么？

周五，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普声称，美国已与丹麦达成协议，赋予丹麦对格陵兰岛安全“及其他一切需求”的“永久控制权”。

特朗普表示，该协议赋予美国否决权，可以阻止“对手”未经其批准在格陵兰岛建立军事存在或进行“敏感投资”。

据英国广播公司报道，美国国务院一位官员澄清说，这意味着非北约国家将无法在格陵兰岛设立军事基地，并且将被禁止“在格陵兰岛进行可能威胁美国的投资”。

随后，周一，有关美国新建两个军事基地的消息传出。

上周末，丹麦和格陵兰证实，他们已与美国达成协议，将于本周宣布该协议，但坚称该协议不会损害格陵兰的主权。

格陵兰总理延斯-弗雷德里克·尼尔森在脸书上发帖称：“该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。”

周一，在协议签署前夕，尼尔森补充说，这将是“一段艰难时期后的一个重要时刻……我期待着签署协议，并以我们的利益、安全和对我们国家的尊重为明确的出发点，迈出下一步。”

丹麦外交大臣拉斯·勒克·拉斯穆森也在周末发表声明，表达了乐观态度。

拉斯穆森表示：“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欧洲内部的共同安全——同时尊重丹麦王国的红线。”

这两个新基地将建在哪里？

据报道，根据即将达成的协议，美国将在格陵兰岛南部重建一个冷战时期的军事基地，并在东海岸建立另一个基地。

第一个基地将设在格陵兰岛南部的纳尔萨克，自 1958 年美国关闭其布鲁伊西一号军事基地（也称为纳尔萨克空军基地和纳尔萨克机场）以来，该定居点的人口已减少到几十人。

第二个基地将位于梅斯特斯维格，这是该地区东北部的一个军事前哨，目前由丹麦特种部队“天狼星狗拉雪橇巡逻队”使用。

冷战期间，美国在该岛保持着强大的军事存在，美国核轰炸机和核预警系统都部署在那里。目前，约有150名士兵常驻在北部的皮图菲克航天基地，负责导弹侦察。

各方对美国达成的协议有何反应？

特朗普认为，控制这个位于北美和欧洲之间最直接路线上的岛屿，对于阻止俄罗斯和中国在美国北部边境附近的北极地区加强自身存在是必要的。

分析人士指出，两国在该地区均无显著影响力。然而，拟议的协议规定，美国的对手也不能在格陵兰岛拥有任何军事基地。

俄罗斯对此协议回应称，它并未参与相关讨论。

克里姆林宫发言人德米特里·佩斯科夫周二告诉记者，“目前，北极合作问题不在议程上。美国和其他北极国家拒绝与俄罗斯合作。”

与此同时，中国方面尚未对此发表评论。

此前，北约发言人在周末告诉记者，北约支持这项协议，并表示这将“有助于推进这一重要地区的安全、稳定与合作”。