In another crushing diplomatic defeat, Donald Trump was hoodwinked by the wily Danes into signing a reaffirmation of Democrat Harry S Truman’s 1951 deal with Denmark allowing U.S. military bases in Greenland. In signing this document at the United Nations yesterday, Trump sharpied away his wild dream of taking over Greenland, instead acknowledging Greenlandic and Danish sovereignty and the vital importance of North Atlantic cooperation.
The agreement, signed yesterday in New York by Trump, Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, says the United States may upgrade its existing Pituffik Space Base and establish additional defense facilities (the document consistently invokes the term defense and never mentions war, except one passing reference to World War II, thus clapping back at Trump’s illegal rebranding of Pete Hegseth’s frat house). Such upgrades and establishments are authorized by Article 2 of the 1951 agreement. The new document affirms American forces’ “right of free access to and movement between the Defense Areas through Greenland, including the Territorial Waters, by land, air and sea.” The 1951 agreement grants the same freedom of movement in almost exactly the same language.
The preamble to yesterday’s agreement respects Danish and Greenlandic sovereignty:
Reaffirming the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, and recognizing that the People of Greenland constitute a people pursuant to international law with the right to self-determination;…
Recognizing the need to protect the pristine environment of Greenland and reaffirming Article VI concerning Protection of the Environment in the 1991 Memorandum of Understanding, as well as the 2004 Joint Declaration;
Recognizing the economic, social, and cultural rights of the People of Greenland, including with respect to their lands and their way of life, including hunting, fishing, and other traditional, cultural, historical, future activities, and developments… [Preamble, Denmark–Greenland–United States Agreement “To Amend and Supplement the Agreement of 27 April 1951 Pursuant to the North Atlantic Treaty”, English translation, 2026.09.22].
Article 4 requires the U.S. to contract with “Greenlandic sources to the maximum extent possible” in building and supporting its facilities in Greenland. Article 5 gives Denmark and Greenland the right to review requests from the U.S. to establish drone bases in Greenland. Article 6 of the new agreement directs the United States to exercise its military rights “in a manner that respects the Greenlandic society and the Greenlandic way of life, including hunting, fishing, and other traditional, cultural, historical, and other future activities, to the maximum extent possible.” Article 11 recognizes that Greenland may choose to become independent under its own legal process and, should it do so, will assume the duties of Denmark in upholding this security agreement. Article 11 does not entertain Trump’s earlier threat to annex Greenland. Nothing in the new agreement changes or subverts Denmark’s sovereignty and equal partnership in the 1951 agreement.
In addition to protecting their own sovereignty, the Danes and Greenlanders have gotten Trump to sign his name to a document affirming the vital importance of NATO. The new agreement predicates American military operations in Greenland on the support of NATO and the rational global order its has promoted for 80 years:
Recalling the long history of cooperation between the Parties based on their deep respect for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, as well as the more than eighty years of close defense cooperation between them, which has contributed to strengthening the security and stability of the United States, Greenland, and the rest of the North Atlantic Treaty area;…
Considering that the Defense Arrangements have promoted stability and well-being in the North Atlantic Treaty area by uniting the Parties’ efforts for collective defense and preserved peace and security as well as developed their collective capacity to resist armed attack;…
Acknowledging as well Greenland’s contribution to the Parties’ mutual security interests and its consequent sharing of the associated risks and responsibilities, and the commitment of the Parties to continuing close cooperation within NATO in ensuring North Atlantic security, as set forth in the 2004 Igaliku Agreement… [Preamble, Denmark–Greenland–U.S., 2026.09.22].
Yesterday’s agreement declares that “The Parties support a stronger NATO engagement in the Arctic….” Article 9 allows other NATO members to build bases and station forces in Greenland. Article 10 exempts NATO members and partners, as well as European Union members, from restrictions on control of or access to sensitive non-public information. Article 11 specifies that an independent Greenland would remain a NATO member. Yesterday’s agreement leaves in place the 1951 provisions subordinating the Denmark–Greenland–U.S. agreement to NATO objectives and agreements. Article 14 of the 1951 agreement says the whole point of this collaboration is to implement the North Atlantic Treaty.
Donald Trump said he wanted to steal Greenland from Denmark and abandon NATO. The diplomatic jujitsu masters of Denmark and Greenland just got Trump to sign a document saying he won’t do either ridiculous thing.