RismadarVoice Reporters
September 19, 2026
Denmark and Greenland have insisted that the proposed security agreement with the United States will not compromise Greenland’s sovereignty, after US President Donald Trump described the emerging deal as giving Washington “permanent control” over the Arctic territory’s security.
The agreement has not yet been signed or entered into force. The three governments say they expect to sign it during the United Nations General Assembly next week, after which it must pass the necessary national parliamentary procedures before taking effect.
The parties have therefore reached agreement at the political level on the proposed arrangement, but the process is not yet legally complete.
DENMARK, GREENLAND DRAW SOVEREIGNTY LINE
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the expected agreement would strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic while recognising the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenlanders’ right to self-determination.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the arrangement would strengthen security for Greenland, Denmark, the United States and their Western allies.
TRUMP DESCRIBES BROADER US AUTHORITY
Trump has presented the arrangement in broader terms, saying the United States would permanently have the ability to take measures it considers necessary to protect Greenland and American security interests.
He also said countries regarded by Washington as adversaries would not be permitted to establish military bases or make sensitive investments in Greenland without US approval.
The contrasting descriptions have raised questions over exactly what authority Washington would receive under the final agreement.
FINAL TERMS NOT YET PUBLIC
The full text has not been publicly released, meaning the precise scale of any expanded US role and the legal limits attached to it cannot yet be independently assessed.
The distinction is important because Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, while defence and security remain responsibilities of the Danish realm.
The proposed agreement follows months of tension over Trump’s push for greater US control of Greenland and Washington’s broader strategic interest in the Arctic.
For now, the clearest description of its status is that Denmark, Greenland and the United States have reached a proposed political agreement that they expect to sign next week; it is not yet in force and will still require the applicable parliamentary procedures after signature.
