The United States has locked in expanded military access across Greenland through a trilateral security agreement signed Tuesday in New York, granting Washington new defence installations and sweeping movement rights across the Arctic island as competition with China and Russia intensifies in the region.
President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Greenland PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen signed the pact on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. Under its terms, the US will modernise and enlarge its existing Pituffik Space Base and establish new defence areas at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig. The agreement also grants American forces "free access to and movement between" defence areas across Greenland, including territorial waters, by land, air, and sea. US aircraft may fly over and land anywhere on the island.
What Washington Gets
The deal stops short of Trump's stated ambition to seize outright control of Greenland, a move he'd argued was essential for US national security. But it delivers much of what the Pentagon wanted: a permanent veto over rival powers. In a post on Truth Social five days ago, Trump wrote: "From now on, no U.S. adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval."
That language doesn't appear in the formal text released by the Danish Foreign Ministry, which instead reaffirms the "sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark" and recognises Greenland's "right to self determination." But Trump has framed the agreement as giving the US "permanent control" of the island's security.
Cold War Echoes
The US military footprint on Greenland was far larger during the Cold War. At its peak, Washington operated 17 facilities and stationed over 10,000 troops on the island. Today it runs just one installation: Pituffik Space Base, the US Department of Defense's northernmost facility. Pituffik is used for missile warning, missile defense, and space surveillance missions, according to the US Space Force.
Frederiksen and Nielsen both welcomed the agreement. In a statement issued Friday, Frederiksen said the deal "strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic Area." Nielsen said it was "to the benefit of us all."
Why This Matters:
The Greenland pact is a reminder that Arctic sovereignty is becoming a frontline issue as climate change opens new shipping routes and resource extraction opportunities. For European NATO members, the agreement underscores a hard reality: the US remains the dominant security guarantor in the North Atlantic, and smaller allies have limited room to manoeuvre when Washington decides a region is strategically vital. Denmark has preserved formal sovereignty, but the practical terms give the Pentagon sweeping operational freedom. That's a trade-off other European nations may face as great-power competition returns to their doorstep. The question isn't whether Europe needs American security cooperation in the Arctic — it does. The question is whether European governments are prepared to invest in their own capabilities so they're negotiating from strength, not dependence.