Veto, sovereignty & military access—what US and Denmark could get out of Trump’s Greenland deal
The United States and Denmark reached an agreement on Greenland's security and defence arrangements, ending months of negotiations
The agreement is expected to be signed on the margins of the UN General Assembly the following week
Under the deal, Denmark retains formal sovereignty over Greenland, while the US gains an expanded security role, including the ability to develop a larger military presence in parts of the territory without requiring Danish consent for expansion — a change from the framework under the 1951 Greenland Defense Agreement
The agreement includes provisions allowing the US to restrict investment in sensitive sectors, such as minerals, by countries considered strategic competitors
The deal follows an earlier period of transatlantic tension after proposals for outright US acquisition of Greenland were floated
Greenland's Constitutional Status — the Self-Government Act, 2009
Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Its current constitutional status derives from the Act on Greenland Self-Government, which came into force on 21 June 2009, replacing the 1979 Home Rule arrangement.
Key Details
- The 2009 Act followed a November 2008 referendum in Greenland in which 75.5% voted in favour of expanded self-government
- It recognises the Greenlandic people as a "people" under international law with a right to self-determination, and provides a legal pathway to full independence via a future referendum
- Denmark retains control over foreign affairs, defence and security policy, and monetary policy, even as most domestic matters have been devolved to Greenland's own government (Naalakkersuisut)
- This dual structure — devolved domestic governance plus retained Danish control of defence/foreign policy — is why any US-Greenland security arrangement is negotiated with Denmark, not Greenland's local government alone
Because Denmark, not Greenland's home government, holds constitutional authority over defence and foreign affairs, the security agreement is structured as a US-Denmark deal, with sovereignty explicitly retained by Denmark even as US military access expands.
NATO and the 1951 Greenland Defense Agreement
Denmark is a founding member of NATO (1949). The US military presence in Greenland has operated since World War II and was formalised under the 1951 Defense of Greenland Agreement between the US and Denmark, concluded within the NATO alliance framework.
Key Details
- The 1951 agreement permitted the US to operate defence installations in Greenland, historically including the base now called Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base, renamed in 2023)
- Pituffik hosts a ballistic missile early-warning radar and is the US Department of Defense's northernmost installation, positioned to monitor the GIUK (Greenland-Iceland-UK) Gap used by NATO to track Russian naval movement into the North Atlantic
- The legal basis for continued US basing depends on both Denmark and the US remaining NATO members
- The new agreement reportedly modifies the 1951 framework by removing the requirement for Danish consent before expanding US military infrastructure
The new deal builds directly on the 74-year-old NATO-linked basing arrangement, expanding US military latitude in Greenland while keeping the relationship inside the NATO alliance structure rather than outside it.
Arctic Geopolitics and India's Arctic Policy
Greenland's strategic salience has risen with Arctic ice melt, which is opening new shipping routes and access to undersea resources, drawing major-power competition. The Arctic Council, the primary intergovernmental forum for Arctic cooperation, was established by the 1996 Ottawa Declaration.
Key Details
- Arctic Council's eight members: Canada, Denmark (via Greenland/Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States
- India holds Observer status at the Arctic Council, granted at the 2013 Kiruna Ministerial meeting
- India released its own Arctic Policy in March 2022 through the Ministry of Earth Sciences, structured around six pillars including science, climate, economic development, and international cooperation; the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR, Goa) is the nodal research institute
- Melting Arctic ice is opening the Northern Sea Route as an alternative to the Suez Canal for Asia-Europe trade, a key driver of major-power interest in Greenland and the wider Arctic
The US push for expanded control over Greenland reflects broader major-power competition over Arctic resources and shipping routes — a strategic contest in which India, as an Arctic Council observer with its own 2022 Arctic Policy, also has a stated stake.
- Greenland Self-Government Act: in force since 21 June 2009; approved by 75.5% in the November 2008 referendum
- Greenland's area: approximately 2.16 million sq km; roughly 80% covered by ice sheet
- 1951 Greenland Defense Agreement: basis for continuous US military presence since; modified by the 2026 deal to drop the Danish-consent requirement for base expansion
- Pituffik Space Base (formerly Thule Air Base, renamed 2023): northernmost US Department of Defense installation
- Arctic Council: established 1996 (Ottawa Declaration), 8 member states; India granted Observer status in 2013
- India's Arctic Policy: released March 2022 by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, six pillars
- Signing of the US-Denmark agreement expected: margins of the UN General Assembly, week following 19 September 2026