By After more than a year of demanding greater American control over Greenland, President Donald Trump announced a security agreement Friday that would give the United States permanent military access to the Arctic island without transferring its sovereignty.
The agreement grants Washington lasting basing, overflight and security rights while allowing the United States to construct additional military installations when it considers them necessary, according to administration officials who spoke with Fox News Digital. Denmark and Greenland would be consulted on new facilities but would not have veto power over them.
The pact also bars Russia, China and other non-NATO countries from establishing bases or stationing troops in Greenland, according to Fox News. Restrictions would extend to adversarial investment in telecommunications, undersea cables, ports, critical minerals and other strategically sensitive industries.
“This historic deal is a huge win for the United States and the American people,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News Digital. “Thanks to President Trump’s vision and leadership, this historic agreement permanently guarantees U.S. security interests in the Arctic at zero cost to the U.S. taxpayer.
'Marco Rubio should take a victory lap.'
Former Conservative MP Louise Mensch on why Donald Trump's Greenland deal is 'a good deal literally for everybody'. pic.twitter.com/GFuvkRsn6V
— GB News (@GBNEWS) September 18, 2026
“Greenland will forever be part of the strategic defense area of North America and exclude any adversary from it and the surrounding area,” Rubio said. “This deal permanently and completely addresses our national security concerns in Greenland.”
The agreement gives Trump much of the security authority he sought without making Greenland part of the United States. Administration officials said the military rights themselves require no payment, although expanding or constructing American facilities would still carry development and operating costs.
“The difference here is we’re not spending any money for the right” to expand the U.S. military presence, a senior official said.
Trump celebrated the agreement on Truth Social, presenting it as the culmination of an effort that previous presidents had failed to complete.
“For over 100 years, Presidents have known the strategic importance of Greenland, but NONE of them were able to do anything about it. I am proud to be the President that permanently and conclusively addressed this very important situation. This is an “Infinite Life” Agreement, there is no end!” Trump wrote.
He said the United States would begin expanding its presence immediately.
“We will immediately begin the process of developing a large Military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland, of which there are many. We will work with the people of Greenland in its development and construction.”
The announcement completes a remarkable turnaround from the resistance Trump initially encountered. As NCP previously reported, Trump began publicly pressing the issue shortly after returning to office, arguing that the island’s location, Arctic shipping routes and mineral deposits made it essential to American security.
Greenland’s new prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, responded with a categorical rejection. “President Trump says that the United States ‘will get Greenland.’ Let me be clear: The United States will not get it. We do not belong to anyone else. We decide our own future,” Nielsen said in April 2025, according to an earlier report.
Trump’s campaign also produced resistance inside his own party. Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska floated impeachment if the president attempted to seize the territory by force. Denmark and several European allies increased their military activity around Greenland as the dispute escalated.
The final arrangement avoids that confrontation. Greenland remains a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, while Washington receives permanent authority to protect American security interests. Administration officials said the agreement would remain in effect even if Greenland eventually becomes independent.
Greenland’s relationship with Denmark has itself become increasingly contentious. New Conservative Post reported in January that some Greenlanders have grown more vocal about Denmark’s colonial history, forced contraception programs, child removals and economic control. Although few Greenlanders supported becoming Americans, Trump’s campaign pushed questions of independence, security and Danish authority into the open.
The United States already operates Pituffik Space Base in northern Greenland under a defense agreement dating to 1951. Officials said the enlarged American footprint could eventually help support Trump’s proposed Golden Dome missile-defense system, which would rely partly on Arctic radar and space-based detection capabilities.
The pact also reflects Trump’s broader effort to prevent China from obtaining commercial footholds near strategically important territory. Administration officials compared its investment restrictions to concerns about Chinese activity around the Panama Canal, another issue Trump raised before taking office.
“We’re never going to face that in Greenland as a result of this,” the senior official said.
Negotiations involving Rubio, White House adviser Stephen Miller and officials from the State Department and National Security Council began in February and remained confidential until this week. Danish and Greenlandic officials initially rejected Trump’s calls for American ownership but ultimately agreed that an expanded U.S. presence would strengthen the island’s defenses.
“They recognize, at the end of the day, that they have a national security concern here as well,” Rubio said. “Denmark and Greenland understand that they don’t have the financial means necessary to defend Greenland if it were to come under attack or be threatened. The United States has the power to do that.”
The agreement has been reached politically but is not yet fully in force. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said it is expected to be signed by the United States, Denmark and Greenland during the United Nations General Assembly and must still receive parliamentary approval in Denmark and Greenland. She also emphasized that the pact preserves Greenland’s sovereignty and right to determine its future, according to the Associated Press.
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