US, Denmark and Greenland to sign Arctic security deal at UN General Assembly on Tuesday
The United States, Denmark and Greenland are expected to sign their Arctic security deal at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, with Copenhagen saying NATO — not Washington alone — will share responsibility for Arctic security.
The United States, Denmark and Greenland are set to sign their Greenland security agreement at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, with Denmark saying the deal puts Arctic security under NATO’s watch rather than leaving it solely to Washington and Copenhagen.
“It (the agreement) will be in a form where responsibility for security in the Arctic is not only Danish or American,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told national broadcaster TV2 on Sunday, adding that to a large extent “it would be NATO that looks after the Arctic”, Reuters reported. A NATO spokesperson welcomed the deal on Saturday, saying it would “help advance security, stability and cooperation in this vital region”.
President Donald Trump announced the deal on Friday on Truth Social, claiming it gives the United States “permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland” and calling it an “‘Infinite Life’ Agreement, there is no end!” Washington would immediately begin building a “large military presence” on the island, he said, and no US adversary could have a base or make sensitive investments there without America’s written approval, the Economic Times reported.
Copenhagen and Nuuk have not commented on Trump’s “permanent control” claim but said the deal will benefit the Arctic island and respect its sovereignty; the agreement has not been made public and will still need to pass Denmark’s parliament to be ratified, The Times reported. The US already operates Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland under a 1951 defence agreement.
The deal follows months of pressure from Trump, who has said the United States should control Greenland and at times refused to rule out using military or economic force to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory — threats that peaked in January and triggered a diplomatic crisis within NATO.
Sources
- Reuters: Denmark says NATO shares responsibility for Arctic security under Greenland deal — reuters.com
- Le Monde: Trump announces security deal with Greenland, ending dispute with Denmark, EU and NATO — lemonde.fr
- The Times: Trump says Greenland deal gives US ‘permanent control’ of security — thetimes.com
- USA Today: Trump says US has deal to establish military presence in Greenland — usatoday.com
- Economic Times: Trump claims ‘infinite’ Greenland security deal with Denmark — economictimes.com
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