President Trump on Friday evening announced a historic deal with Denmark and Greenland that gives the United States permanent military rights over Greenland.
There will be no cost to the United States, and the agreement bans China, Russia, and any US adversary from establishing military bases in Greenland.
Full statement from President Trump:
NATO chief Mark Rutte said Trump is right about Greenland.
President Donald Trump’s contention that forceful measures must be in place to protect the Arctic region was seconded Wednesday by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Trump has said that American ownership of Greenland is essential to providing security. Denmark, which controls the island, does not want to part with it, leading to an escalating war of words and threats of economic consequences.
Rutte spoke during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday. Trump spoke to the group later on Wednesday.
“When it comes to the Arctic, I think President Trump is right,” Rutte said in a video posted to X. “Other leaders of NATO are right.”
“We need to defend the Arctic. We know that the sea lanes are opening up. We know that China and Russia are increasingly active in the Arctic,” he said.
…….“President Trump and other leaders are right; we have to do more there,” he continued. “We have to protect the Arctic against Russian and Chinese influence.”
The United States currently operates one active military base in Greenland: Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base).
Located in northwestern Greenland, this installation is the U.S. Armed Forces’ northernmost military outpost and is operated by the U.S. Space Force. It hosts approximately 150 permanent U.S. service members, along with Danish, Canadian, and Greenlandic personnel, and serves a critical role in missile early warning, space surveillance, and satellite operations for NORAD.
While Pituffik is the only active base, the U.S. has a history of maintaining up to 17 facilities there during the Cold War. A historic 2026 agreement recently secured for the U.S. permanent military basing rights and the unilateral ability to establish additional installations on the island without requiring Danish or Greenlandic approval, though no new bases have been built yet.
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