Trump signs ‘tremendous’ Arctic security deal with Denmark, Greenland

NATO and the European Union welcome accord that ends a months-long standoff after Trump threatened to seize Greenland.

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen as Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen looks on after they signed a security pact in New York, September 22, 2026 [Brendan Smialowski/AFP]

The United States, Denmark and Greenland have signed a deal on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, granting Washington a greater military presence on the continent-sized Arctic island.

After years of tensions between the US and Denmark, which holds sovereignty over the autonomous and resource-rich territory of Greenland, Tuesday’s agreement resolves a key point of contention among Western transatlantic allies. It is set to expand a longstanding US presence just as great-power competition with Russia and China heats up.

list 1 of 3 Trump says Denmark deal gives US security ‘control’ over Greenland

list 2 of 3 Trump’s Greenland deal: A triumph of optics?

list 3 of 3 Where is the US opening new military bases in Greenland?

“This is tremendous for Europe and for the United States and for everybody,” US President Donald Trump said before signing the agreement. “And for Greenland, it’s going to be incredible.”

Addressing the UNGA earlier on Tuesday, Trump said the US would “immediately begin the process of developing a large military presence in the appropriate locations”, including “building two very major military bases”.

The agreement allows Washington to “modernise and expand” its activities at the Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland. Bases will be established at Narsarsuaq in the south and Mestersvig in the east with the option to “establish additional defense areas” and expand operations.

It also permits US aircraft to fly over and land anywhere in Greenland, including its territorial waters while also granting “undersea access”.

No non-NATO country will be allowed to set up military installations or a “persistent” military presence in Greenland without unanimous approval by Denmark, Greenland and the US. The agreement also bars investors from “sensitive sectors” outside NATO and the European Union.

The accord does not have an end date. If Greenland becomes independent, it will remain in NATO and assume Denmark’s obligations under the deal.

“The Danish government and the Greenland government will maintain sovereignty over Greenland’s territory, but the US will have essentially veto power over what other countries are able to come to the island,” said Al Jazeera correspondent Rosiland Jordan reporting from UN Headquarters in New York.

“It does give Washington a great deal of what it wants: a military presence and the ability to keep rival nations, notably China and Russia, off,” she added.

The deal follows a months-long standoff after Trump threatened to seize Greenland, prompting warnings from Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen that a US takeover would end the NATO alliance.

Since 1945, the US military presence in Greenland shrank from thousands of troops across 17 bases to about 200 stationed at the remote Pituffik base.

Frederiksen called the new agreement “a deal that can last forever”, while Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen described it as “a win-win-win”, saying: “Your security is our security, and our security is your security.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and European Council President Antonio Costa both welcomed the deal, with the latter calling it “a positive step for transatlantic cooperation and Arctic security”, grounded in “respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination”.

北约和欧盟对结束长达数月僵局的协议表示欢迎，此前特朗普曾威胁要吞并格陵兰岛。

2026年9月22日，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普与丹麦首相梅特·弗雷德里克森在纽约签署安全协议后握手，格陵兰首相延斯-弗雷德里克·尼尔森在一旁观看。[Brendan Smialowski/AFP]

美国、丹麦和格陵兰在纽约联合国大会期间签署了一项协议，赋予华盛顿在这个面积相当于大陆的北极岛屿上更大的军事存在。

多年来，美国与丹麦（丹麦对拥有自治权且资源丰富的格陵兰岛拥有主权）之间一直存在紧张关系。周二达成的协议解决了西方跨大西洋盟友之间的一个关键争议点。该协议旨在扩大美国在格陵兰岛的长期存在，而此时美国与俄罗斯和中国的竞争正日趋激烈。

列表 1/3 特朗普称丹麦协议赋予美国对格陵兰岛的安全“控制权”

特朗普的格陵兰协议（共3项，此为第2项）：是形象上的胜利吗？

列表 3（共 3 项）：美国在格陵兰岛哪些地方开设了新的军事基地？

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在签署协议前表示：“这对欧洲、美国以及所有人来说都是意义非凡的。对格陵兰岛而言，这将是一件不可思议的事情。”

特朗普周二早些时候在联合国大会上发表讲话时表示，美国将“立即开始在适当地点建立大规模军事存在”，包括“建造两个非常重要的军事基地”。

该协议允许华盛顿对其位于格陵兰岛西北部的皮图菲克航天基地进行“现代化改造和扩建”。基地将分别在南部的纳尔萨克和东部的梅斯特斯维格建立，并可选择“建立额外的防御区域”和扩大行动范围。

它还允许美国飞机飞越格陵兰岛的任何地方，包括其领海，并允许其降落，同时还授予“海底通道”。

未经丹麦、格陵兰和美国一致同意，任何非北约国家均不得在格陵兰设立军事设施或建立“永久性”军事存在。该协议还禁止来自北约和欧盟以外“敏感领域”的投资者进入格陵兰。

该协议没有终止日期。如果格陵兰岛独立，它将继续留在北约，并承担丹麦在该协议下的义务。

“丹麦政府和格陵兰政府将保持对格陵兰领土的主权，但美国实际上对其他国家能够进入该岛拥有否决权，”半岛电视台记者罗西兰·乔丹在纽约联合国总部报道说。

她补充说：“这确实给了华盛顿它想要的很多东西：军事存在以及阻止竞争对手国家（尤其是中国和俄罗斯）的能力。”

在特朗普威胁要吞并格陵兰岛之后，双方僵持了数月之久，丹麦首相梅特·弗雷德里克森警告说，美国的接管将终结北约联盟。

自 1945 年以来，美国在格陵兰岛的军事存在从 17 个基地的数千名士兵减少到驻扎在偏远的皮图菲克基地的约 200 名士兵。

弗雷德里克森称这项新协议是“一项可以永远持续下去的协议”，而格陵兰总理延斯-弗雷德里克·尼尔森则将其描述为“三赢”，并表示：“你们的安全就是我们的安全，我们的安全就是你们的安全。”

北约秘书长马克·吕特和欧洲理事会主席安东尼奥·科斯塔都对该协议表示欢迎，后者称其为“跨大西洋合作和北极安全的积极一步”，其基础是“尊重主权、领土完整和格陵兰人民的自决权”。