Greenland, Denmark and US sign landmark security dealpublished at 17:04 BST
Image source, Getty ImagesAfter his speech at the UN, President Trump has met with the leaders of Greenland and Denmark to sign a landmark security agreement.
Trump described the deal as “long in the making” and says it will lead to a “long term, fantastic relationship” between the three signatories.
Although Greenland is a sovereign territory, it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark which primarily handles its foreign policy issues.
There are few details available, although during his speech Trump had said that the US will build “two very major military bases” in Greenland.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says the new agreement satisfies US security concerns about foreign adversaries gaining a foothold on the island while respecting Danish and Greenlandic domestic rights.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has also been upbeat about the security deal.
“We are signing an agreement that brings the 1951 defence agreement into 2026,” Nielsen says. “We are, have been and will remain a steadfast friend of the United States and a part of the Western Alliance. Your security is our security, and our security is your security… This is a win-win-win agreement.”
Trump did not respond to reporters’ repeated questions about the deal falling short of his previous proposal for the US to own Greenland, which was roundly rejected by both Denmark and Greenland.
