Trump said the agreement would give the United States “permanent control over security and all other needs.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the agreement “strengthens security in the Arctic and North Atlantic region.” However, she did not comment on the specific provisions mentioned by Trump in a social media post.
The agreement comes after months of threats from Trump to acquire or take control of Greenland over national security concerns. He has cited the territory’s strategic location for defence purposes and its mineral resources.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the agreement “comes at no cost to the United States” and would give America the ability to do what is necessary to ensure and defend Greenland’s security.
Trump said the agreement includes a provision preventing any US adversary from maintaining a military presence in Greenland or making “sensitive investments in Greenland without our clear written approval.”
Frederiksen confirmed that the agreement will be signed at the United Nations General Assembly next week.
She said the agreement “strengthens our shared security in the Arctic and North Atlantic region” while also recognising “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state and the right of the people of Greenland to self-determination.”
She said the agreement still requires approval from lawmakers and “must go through the necessary parliamentary procedures for it to enter into force.”
Greenland’s head of government, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, welcomed the agreement in a statement announcing it, saying, “It is satisfactory that we are entering into an agreement that ensures and strengthens the security of Greenland, Denmark and the United States.”
He added, “The agreement recognises Greenland’s interests and our role in international cooperation. It is in all our interests.”
Trump had spent months seeking to buy or take control of the mineral-rich Danish territory, arguing that it was vulnerable to adversaries including Russia and China.
He had also threatened military action in Greenland, provoking anger in Denmark and other NATO countries.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the agreement as a historic deal and a major victory for the United States and the American people.
In a statement, Rubio said, “This agreement permanently and fully resolves our national security concerns in Greenland.”
No written document outlining the agreement has been released. The BBC said it had contacted the Danish embassy and the White House.
However, an unnamed US State Department official provided an outline of the agreement but gave no separate information about it.
One of the provisions of the agreement is that it would remain in effect even if Greenland becomes an independent country in the future.
The official said the agreement would give the United States the unilateral right to build additional military structures without permission from Greenland or Denmark.
The official said this includes “permanent access, military base construction and air rights.”
The agreement would also prevent non-NATO countries from establishing military bases in Greenland and stop adversaries from making investments in Greenland that could pose a threat to the United States.
The official said that under the existing arrangement, adversaries are allowed to invest in “sensitive areas” of Greenland without those investments being subject to scrutiny.
The official specifically mentioned Russia and China, saying the agreement would prevent them from deploying military forces or making investments in sensitive areas.
Without an official document being released, it remains unclear how the agreement differs from the 1951 agreement with Denmark, under which the United States can send as many troops as it wants to Greenland.
The United States already has more than 100 military personnel permanently stationed at its Pituffik base, located at the northwestern end of the territory.
Trump has said Greenland is essential to his plans to build the Golden Dome defence system, which is designed to protect the United States from missile attacks by Russia and China, and that European allies could cooperate in the effort.
The island has vast reserves of rare earth minerals, many of which are important for technologies including mobile phones and electric vehicles.
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