President Trump Signs Historic Arctic Security Pact With Denmark and Greenland

September 23rd, 2026

Written by White House Post and Hoosier Enquirer Staff

NEW YORK — President Donald J. Trump joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on Tuesday to sign an agreement that the White House called unprecedented, granting the United States lasting security control over Greenland at no cost to American taxpayers.

The pact amends and supplements the 1951 Defense Agreement on Greenland. Officials said it gives the United States permanent basing rights, the ability to expand and modernize existing facilities such as Pituffik Space Base, and authority to establish additional defense areas. It also bars any U.S. adversary from setting up a military presence, base, or sensitive investment in Greenland without American approval.

“This agreement… gives the United States permanent control over security and all other needs on that territory,” Trump said. “We will have the complete ability to do what is necessary to defend the American continent.”

Frederiksen called the signing a milestone that strengthens common security and deterrence. “This deal is good for the United States, it’s good for Greenland, for Denmark, for the NATO alliance, and therefore also good for Europe,” she said. Nielsen described Greenland as a “steadfast friend of the United States and a part of the Western alliance” and called the result “historical.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and leaders from Germany, Norway, Italy, Estonia, and Sweden welcomed the deal as a boost to Arctic and North Atlantic security. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it “permanently guarantees U.S. security interests in the Arctic at zero cost to the U.S. taxpayer.”

The text of the agreement reaffirms Danish sovereignty and Greenland’s right to self-determination while expanding U.S. access, overflight, and movement rights across Greenland, including territorial waters. It supports a stronger NATO role in the Arctic, allows additional unmanned installations subject to review, and requires contracts for work at defense areas to go to Greenlandic sources to the maximum extent possible. The parties also committed to environmental protections and consultation through an existing Permanent Committee.

White House officials and supporters framed the pact as a strategic win that locks key Arctic terrain into the North American defense perimeter without a purchase. Critics of earlier U.S. pressure over Greenland had warned of strained relations with Denmark and NATO; the signing, they noted, came after months of negotiations. The White House release compiled dozens of endorsements from U.S. and European officials, former officials, and commentators.

The agreement was signed in New York during the U.N. General Assembly period. Implementation details for new sites will be worked out through existing consultation mechanisms, with escalation to ministerial level if needed.