Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Sep 22: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the United States would establish two major military bases in Greenland under a new security agreement with Denmark and Greenland that expands Washington’s military role on the strategically located Arctic island.
Trump made the announcement while addressing the UN General Assembly in New York. The United States, Denmark and Greenland subsequently signed the trilateral security agreement on the sidelines of the General Assembly. The pact expands the US military presence while keeping Greenland under Danish sovereignty.
Trump described the agreement as unprecedented and said it would give the United States broad authority to protect North America, Europe and other areas.
“This agreement, made with the Kingdom of Denmark, is with an incredible, beautiful country. And the Greenland people itself gives the United States permanent control over security and all other needs on that territory,” Trump said.
“We will have the complete ability to do what is necessary to defend the American continent, and also Europe and other places,” he added.
Under the agreement, the US will expand its military presence in Greenland, while countries regarded by Washington as adversaries will be barred from establishing military bases on the island. They will also be restricted from making sensitive investments without US approval, according to Trump.
“No US adversary will ever be permitted to establish a military presence in Greenland anymore or make sensitive investments there without our express written approval,” he said.
Trump did not identify the countries covered by the restrictions. The Arctic has emerged as an increasingly important area of strategic competition involving the United States, Russia and China.
The President said the US would immediately begin developing a larger military presence at suitable locations in Greenland and would build two major military bases.
Reports on the agreement have identified Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland, where the US previously operated the Cold War-era Bluie West One base, and Mestersvig in eastern Greenland as the locations for the two facilities.
Trump said negotiations over the agreement had helped Washington develop closer ties with the governments and people of Denmark and Greenland.
“This agreement will be signed later today, and I look forward to working with the wonderful people of Denmark and Greenland,” he said before the signing. “It's been a great experience, an amazing experience, and we've really formed a bond in doing it.”
The agreement amends the existing US-Danish defence framework and is aimed at strengthening security in the Arctic and North Atlantic. It also provides for expanded US military access and reinforces NATO’s role in the region.
Trump linked the agreement to wider NATO efforts to strengthen defence capabilities and praised NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte for the alliance’s moves to increase defence spending.
The deal follows months of tension over Trump’s earlier calls for greater US control over Greenland. Danish and Greenlandic authorities have stressed that the agreement does not transfer sovereignty over the territory, which remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Greenland’s strategic importance has grown amid increased military activity, competition over critical minerals and the opening of potential maritime routes as Arctic ice melts. The region has become a focus of security and geopolitical competition among major powers.