WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday he has a deal with Denmark to bolster the U.S. military presence in Greenland after months of threatening to take island by force from the NATO ally.
Trump in a social media post announcing the deal said the agreement “gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland, completely addressing ALL of our many U.S. concerns.”
He added that with the agreement his administration would “immediately” begin the process of developing a larger military presence on the mineral-rich Danish territory.
The office of Denmark's prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said the deal will be signed by three governments next week during the United Nations General Assembly, but parliamentary action is still needed by the Danish and Greenland governments before it can be enforced.
In a statement she said “the agreement recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity” of Greenland and Denmark and upholds both people's right "to self-determination.”
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the emerging deal benefits all three governments and “recognizes Greenland’s interests and our place in the international cooperation.”
With his return to the White House last year, Trump called on Denmark to sell the island to the United States, while insisting that Greenland is crucial for U.S. security. He pointedly wouldn't rule out taking the island by military force, even though Denmark is a NATO ally of the U.S.
Denmark and Greenland repeatedly said the island is not for sale and condemned reports of the U.S. gathering intelligence there. The U.S. push for Greenland is also opposed by Russia and much of Europe.
But Trump in his social media post Friday suggested an understanding may been reached that could bring an end to what was viewed as an existential crisis by Denmark.
“We look forward to working with the wonderful people of Denmark and Greenland toward a magnificent future with respect to this large, and highly strategic, parcel of land,” Trump said in his post. “We will be very protective of it!”
Trump had raised concerns that Russia and China had become more active in the Arctic, making the need for the U.S. to take control of Greenland necessary.
But the agreement bans any non-NATO base in Greenland, limits adversaries from being able to make investments in Greenland and guarantees that China and Russia cannot have a base in Greenland, according to a State Department official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio cheered the statement as a “historic deal” and “huge win” for the United States.
“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.”
Despite Trump's repeated aggressive comments toward Denmark about Greenland, Danish officials had repeatedly made clear that they stood ready to work with the U.S. to expand the American military presence and strengthen U.S. commercial interests in Greenland.
Still, Trump’s repeated demands for Greenland and threats to take it by force rattled the NATO alliance and discomfited European allies, said Imran Bayoumi, an associate director at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security.
“I think Americans really underestimate how damaging it was for the image of the United States in Europe,” he said. “I think Greenlanders, Danes, Europeans saw this as a real attack on their sovereignty, and it’s going to take a lot of work to repair.”
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AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed reporting.
