Trump announces Greenland security deal granting U.S. permanent control

September 19, 2026 at 02:58 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

President Donald Trump announced Friday an agreement with Greenland and Denmark granting the U.S. permanent control over Greenland's security and other needs. Trump said the U.S. will immediately begin developing a large military presence in Greenland at no cost to the United States. Denmark's Prime Minister confirmed the deal will be signed at the UN General Assembly next week.

Key Facts

Trump said the agreement grants the U.S. permanent control over Greenland's security and all other needs.
The U.S. will immediately begin developing a large military presence in Greenland.
Trump stated the deal will have no cost to the United States.
Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed the agreement will be signed at the UN General Assembly next week.
The deal includes a rule that no U.S. adversary can maintain a military presence or make sensitive investments in Greenland without express written approval from the U.S.

Agreement Terms

Trump announced the agreement in a Truth Social post on Friday. He said the U.S. will have permanent control over security and all other needs in Greenland. The agreement includes a provision that no adversary can establish a military base, maintain a military presence, or make strategic investments in Greenland without express written approval from the U.S. Trump described the deal as having no cost to the United States and as a historic development.

Military Presence

Trump said the U.S. will immediately begin the process of developing a large military presence in the appropriate part of Greenland. Greenland already hosts a U.S. military presence under a decades-old defense agreement with Denmark. The deal appears to stop short of Trump's prior insistence that Greenland must become part of the United States.

Danish and Greenlandic Response

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed the agreement will be signed at the UN General Assembly next week. She said the deal strengthens common security in the Arctic and North Atlantic while recognizing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination. Greenland and Denmark did not immediately confirm the deal when Trump announced it.