Trump Has Changed His Strategy On Greenland

• 22.09.2026, 16:06

The U.S. will gain new military facilities, and the island's status will remain unchanged.

U.S. President Donald Trump will sign an agreement with Denmark and Greenland that will significantly expand the U.S. military presence on the island, but does not provide for it to come under U.S. control. The ceremony will take place in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, according to USA Today (translation by the website Charter97.org).

The agreement provides for the establishment of two additional U.S. military facilities—in Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland and in Mestersvig on the east coast. Currently, the only active U.S. base on the island is Pituffik.

Trump had previously stated that the agreement gives Washington the ability to ensure U.S. security in Greenland, including permanent access to the island and the use of its airspace. “We will immediately begin to significantly expand the U.S. military presence in key areas of Greenland,” the U.S. president wrote.

At the same time, Copenhagen emphasizes that the agreement will not affect Denmark’s sovereignty and respects the right of Greenland’s residents to self-determination. Danish authorities also link the new agreement to strengthening NATO’s role in ensuring Arctic security.

The agreement will prevent Russia and China from establishing military facilities in Greenland or investing in the island without the written consent of the U.S. The full text of the treaty has not yet been published, so its terms remain unclear.

“This deal definitively and irrevocably resolves our national security concerns in Greenland,” said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The new agreement is intended to ease tensions that arose following Trump’s statements about a possible purchase of Greenland. At the same time, this marks the largest expansion of U.S. military infrastructure on the island since the Cold War.