Denmark says a 'binding' agreement on Greenland will strengthen the Arctic

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen stated on Saturday that a "binding" agreement with the United States on the security of Greenland "will strengthen security" in the Arctic, after President Donald Trump announced the pact.

"Next week could be a good week… for Greenland, Denmark, and the United States. We hope that a long period of uncertainty will be replaced by a binding agreement that strengthens security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic—and, therefore, also our shared security within NATO and in Europe," Rasmussen wrote on social media.

On Friday, Trump stated that he had reached an agreement with Denmark granting the United States "permanent control" over Greenland's security, which would prevent Russia and China from establishing bases in the Arctic territory.

Denmark and Greenland, an autonomous territory under Danish control, welcomed the pact announced by Trump and noted that they will sign it on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week.

In a statement, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described it as "an agreement that simultaneously recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination."

Trump has repeatedly warned of attempts by Russia and China to gain a foothold in Greenland, amid a strategic struggle for supremacy in an increasingly warming Arctic.

A 1951 defense pact, updated in 2004, already allows Washington to increase the deployment of troops and military facilities on the island, provided it gives prior notice to Denmark and Greenland.

Since his return to the White House in January 2025, Trump has insisted that Washington needed to control Greenland for strategic reasons, which alarmed Denmark, a NATO ally, and sparked a strong reaction from the Atlantic alliance.