The United States has welcomed Greenland's approval of a trilateral security agreement with Washington and Denmark, describing it as a “massive win” for NATO and a major victory for American national security.
The pact seeks to strengthen defence cooperation and expand the US military presence in the strategically important Arctic region, while reaffirming Greenland's status under Danish sovereignty.
US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott described the agreement as a significant achievement for all three parties and the NATO alliance in a post on X.
“The Greenland deal is a massive win for the United States, a massive win for Greenland, and a massive win for NATO. And it's a deal that only President Trump and @SecRubio could have delivered,” Pigott said.
The US Department of State, in a separate post, said Greenland's approval would help secure Washington's strategic interests in the Arctic and strengthen American defence.
“Greenland's ratification of President Trump’s historic agreement marks another major victory for American national security. This Administration is securing America’s strategic interests in the Arctic, strengthening our national defense and ensuring this critical region remains free of adversarial threats,” the department said.
The remarks came after lawmakers in Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, approved the agreement on Tuesday. The vote was 16-0, with seven lawmakers abstaining, Al Jazeera reported.
The agreement was signed on September 22 by US President Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. It followed months of negotiations amid diplomatic tensions over Trump's repeated statements about bringing Greenland under US control.
For months, Trump had expressed his desire for Greenland to become part of the United States and had threatened to seize the territory from Denmark, a NATO ally. Denmark and Greenland had repeatedly maintained that any agreement with Washington would not compromise Greenland's sovereignty.
Trump later described the pact as providing Washington with “permanent control” over the Arctic island's security, although its precise scope remained unclear.
Washington: The pact aims to strengthen security cooperation in the Arctic and North Atlantic while expanding Washington's military role on the island.
Under its provisions, the United States will be allowed to modernise and expand its activities at the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland and establish additional defence areas at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig.
The agreement also supports greater NATO engagement in Arctic security through military planning, an increased presence, exercises and intelligence-sharing.
It reaffirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark while recognising the Greenlandic people's right to self-determination. The arrangement is also designed to remain applicable if Greenland eventually becomes independent, subject to the relevant obligations being assumed.
Greenlandic Foreign Minister Mute Egede described the ratification as an important step for the island, while acknowledging the difficult path leading to the agreement.
“The road to this point has been a difficult one for us as a people. But we have stood firm on our fundamental principles, chosen dialogue and taken responsibility for our country’s interests,” Egede said in a Facebook post.
“This is about all of us. The Greenland we love. About our security. And about our right to shape our own future,” he added.
The agreement will enter into force after the necessary parliamentary procedures in both Greenland and Denmark are completed. Danish lawmakers are scheduled to debate the pact later this month, with a vote expected on November 19. No approval from the US Senate is required.
Trump has also highlighted Greenland's potential natural resources, saying that large-scale oil, gas and mineral exploration could begin on the island.
He did not provide details of the exploration plans but claimed that the region could hold substantial oil reserves.
“There are experts that are saying that the amount of easily available oil is far greater than that of almost any land, anywhere in the world,” Trump said.
Trump’s interest in Greenland has extended beyond its strategic military location to its natural resources. While he repeatedly wanted the island to be the part of the US, both Greenland and Denmark had then cleared their stand that the the territory's future must be determined by its people.
The newly approved security pact seeks to expand defence cooperation with Washington while formally maintaining the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenland's right to determine its own future.