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Greenland’s parliament on Tuesday signed off on a trilateral security and military-access agreement with the United States and Denmark that paves the way for an expanded US’ military presence on the strategically located and mineral-rich island.
The deal has alleviated pressure coming from US President Donald Trump, who earlier this year had repeatedly threatened to take control of the self-governing Danish territory, citing US security interests.
After months of negotiation the agreement was signed in September by Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
The agreement allows for two new US military bases and Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defence system. It also keeps Greenland under Danish control, while reaffirming Greenlanders’ right to self determination.
Greenland cannot take ‘stability for granted’
On Tuesday, shortly before the vote in the capital, Nuuk, Greenlandic Foreign Minister Mute Egede welcomed the agreement’s ratification.
“We must accept that peace and stability are no longer something we can take for granted,” Egede said.
In a first debate last month, a majority of Greenlandic lawmakers had already signalled support for the agreement.
Pele Broberg, chair of the pro-independence Naleraq party, questioned the deal’s value for Greenland.
“We are looking for a better agreement that we can benefit from when we become an independent state. But no economic benefit has been gained from the agreement,” Broberg said.
The agreement will come into effect after ratification by the Danish parliament, which is due to read the bill over two sessions in November. A vote is scheduled for November 19 in Copenhagen.
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Trump pressures Greenland
In January 2026, Trump began calling for the US to control Greenland, and threatened the use of military force and tariffs against US European allies if he did not get his way.
Trump had claimed that Denmark was not doing enough to defend its autonomous arctic territory from unspecified threats from China and Russia.
Trump’s repeated threats damaged US ties with Denmark and rattled the US’ European NATO allies.
On January 21, after Trump met with NATO chief Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the Global Economic Forum in Davos, tensions cooled after Rutte and Trump announced the “concept of a deal” allowing for expanded US defense access to Greenland, which would later evolve into the agreement signed in September.
Denmark had repeatedly said it was willing to discuss expanding the US military footprint in Greenland, while rejecting Trump’s more extreme demand that Greenland become US territory.
Critics have pointed out the same deal could have been made without the extreme disruption caused by Trump’s territorial and tariff threats.
Under a 1951 agreement, the US already has considerable military freedom of action in Greenland. After years of voluntarily drawing down its military presence, only the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland remains, which is used for missile defense and radar surveillance.
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