Greenland PM says no deal reached yet in talks with the United States

Talks over Greenland’s future are moving forward, but the three-way negotiations involving Denmark, Greenland and the United States have not yet produced a final agreement, Greenland’s prime minister said.

The mineral-rich Arctic territory has drawn intense interest from US President Donald Trump, who is reportedly seeking to establish three military bases in southern Greenland in addition to the existing US Pituffik base in the north.

“We are negotiating but we don’t have an agreement,” Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said during a speech at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit.

“We have a defence agreement with the United States where it’s already possible to have more bases if they wanted to,” Mr Nielsen stressed at a press conference later.

A defence pact signed in 1951 and updated in 2004 already gives Washington the ability to expand troop deployments and military facilities on the island, provided it gives prior notice to both Denmark and Greenland.

In January, President Trump retreated from his repeated threats to seize Greenland, paving the way for Copenhagen and Nuuk to hold an initial meeting in Washington.

Mr Trump has repeatedly maintained that the US must control Greenland for national security reasons, arguing that without American control the Arctic island could end up under the influence of China or Russia.

“We have been ready from the beginning and said we are ready to do more, take more responsibility… in terms of national or international security,” Mr Nielsen said.

“Our only demand is respect.”

Mr Nielsen said Jeff Landry, Donald Trump’s special envoy for Greenland, had asked for a meeting next week during a planned visit to Nuuk, though no agenda had yet been set.

“It will be arranged if we get something concrete,” Mr Nielsen added.

Denmark has been without a government since a general election on 24 March left neither the left nor right bloc with a majority.