French President Emmanuel Macron said an agreement involving the United States, Denmark and Greenland represented an important reaffirmation of Danish sovereignty over the Arctic territory.
“I simply note that Danish sovereignty is respected, that international law is respected, and that this is what we were asking for. So it’s a good thing,” Mr Macron said during a visit to the French overseas territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
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Denmark had earlier welcomed the “binding” agreement announced by US President Donald Trump, which would give Washington “permanent control” over Greenland’s security while preventing Russia and China from establishing military bases there.
Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Mr Trump has repeatedly argued that the United States must control Greenland for strategic reasons. His demands have alarmed NATO ally Denmark and triggered strong opposition across the alliance.
“A long period of uncertainty will hopefully be replaced by a binding agreement that strengthens security in the Arctic and North Atlantic,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on social media.
Denmark and Greenland said they would sign it on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week
Mr Rasmussen said the agreement respected Denmark’s “red lines” and was “important” amid a changing security landscape.
‘Danish sovereignty’
The precise terms of the deal have not been made public, but Denmark insists its sovereignty over Greenland remains untouched.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the agreement with the US “recognises the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination”.
She described the deal as “good for NATO and Europe”.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said it “recognises Greenland’s interests” and would “strengthen” the territory’s security.
In Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, residents responded with a mixture of uncertainty and cautious hope.
“I don’t know exactly what the agreement is or what has been signed. But whenever the US and Trump are mentioned, I have mixed feelings. I’m not entirely comfortable with how much attention Greenland has right now,” Soren Kreutzmann, a 29-year-old hairdresser, said.
“We hope the leaders have made a good agreement, because our country needs to be protected, both from the air and sea. Denmark had not given that enough attention for many years,” said Bibbi Kleist Jepsen, a 64-year-old educator.
Mr Trump celebrated the agreement as an “‘Infinite Life’ Agreement, there is no end”.
He said the United States would begin expanding its military presence in Greenland immediately.
“From now on, no US adversary can EVER have a base in Greenland, have a military presence in Greenland, or make sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval,” President Trump added.
Although Mr Trump portrayed the agreement as a major victory, Danish analysts suggested that Washington had secured far less than the president initially sought.
They pointed out that a 1951 defence pact, updated in 2004, already allows the US to increase its military presence on the island, as long as Denmark and Greenland are notified beforehand.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the deal ‘recognises Greenland’s interests’
“Shhh. Don’t tell Trump that it’s the Kingdom of Denmark that has prevailed,” US correspondent Jacob Heinel Jensen wrote in the Danish newspaper Berlingske yesterday.
Ulrik Pram Gad, a researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, said Mr Trump “obviously didn’t get in this agreement what he originally set out to have, that is, sovereign control over all of Greenland as a part of the United States”.
China, Russia concerns
Mr Trump has repeatedly warned that Russia and China could seek a foothold in Greenland as competition for influence intensifies across a warming Arctic.
The US State Department made clear that neither country would be permitted to establish a military presence there.
“This agreement guarantees that China and Russia cannot have a base in Greenland, they cannot send troops to Greenland, and the necessary mechanisms are in place to prevent investment in sensitive sectors,” a State Department official said.
Mr Gad said Russia appeared to have limited interest in Greenland, while China has invested in extractive industries as it seeks a stronger position in the Arctic.
“The US is worried that any kind of Chinese footprint could be turned into military assets,” he said.
But with the agreement’s details still unclear, Mr Gad said the central concern was how “exclusive access” for the US to build bases in Greenland might affect its European NATO allies.
“Trump has been flirting with breaking up the NATO alliance. If Europe is an adversary, how would that position Europe, Denmark and Greenland in that situation?” he added.
Several media outlets have reported that the US is seeking to establish three new military bases in southern Greenland, alongside the Pituffik base it already operates in the north of the territory.
At the height of the dispute over Greenland, Mr Trump refused to rule out using force to seize the territory, whose population is 57,000, fuelling anxiety across the EU and NATO.
Relations have since become less confrontational. In an apparent effort to ease tensions with Mr Trump, NATO launched a mission aimed at strengthening security in the Arctic.
