“He will FOREVER have full ability to do what is necessary in Greenland” — Trump announces US-Denmark deal | Today’s news
Donald Trump announced on Friday that the United States, Denmark and Greenland had secured a deal that would allow the United States to establish a large military presence on the island while strictly banning American adversaries from establishing bases there.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that America’s enemies would not be able to make sensitive investments on the island without US approval and that the agreement had no expiration date.
“At my direction, we have worked with representatives of Denmark and Greenland to ensure that the United States will ALWAYS have the full ability to do in Greenland what is necessary to ensure and defend the security of Greenland and the United States of America,” Trump wrote.
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‘Dream Come True’
The US-Denmark agreement allows for an increased US military presence in Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. The deal is far behind Trump’s long-held dream of acquiring the island for the United States.
According to a Reuters report, the US already has almost full overflight rights and bases in Greenland under a 1951 treaty.
Pleased with the outcome of the negotiations, Trump’s announcement indicated that he might not revive his territorial claims, at least in the near future.
Without elaborating, he said the US would soon deploy a large military presence on the island, which already hosts one space force base in its far northwest.
“This is a dream come true for the United States of America,” Trump wrote.
The agreement would strengthen security in the North Atlantic and the Arctic, the press agency quoted the Danish Prime Minister’s Office as saying.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a statement that the agreement recognizes Greenland’s interests and the Arctic island’s place in international cooperation. “It will benefit us all,” he said.
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The scope of the agreement is unclear
The scope of the agreement between the US and Denmark and Greenland remains unclear, Reuters reported, including whether any new US bases will be built under the agreement.
It would be novel if the U.S. could build bases without the consent of Greenland or Denmark, but “for the most part, it appears that Washington has been able to achieve many of these goals through diplomacy and dialogue without upsetting the broader U.S.-NATO relationship,” Imran Bayoumi, a former Pentagon official now at the Atlantic Council think tank, said, according to Reuters.
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“Greenland forever part of strategic defense area”
In a separate statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the deal “permanently and completely” addresses Washington’s national security concerns about the island.
“Greenland will forever be part of the strategic defense area of North America and exclude any adversary from it and the surrounding areas,” he said.
A State Department official told Reuters that the agreement bars non-NATO countries from building a base in Greenland and will only allow the US and its allies to make unspecified “sensitive investments”.
The official said the agreement gives the US permanent access, basing and overflight rights and will continue to apply even if Greenland becomes independent.
