The United States is seeking a complete overhaul of its defense agreement with Denmark, aiming to remove all restrictions on its military presence in Greenland. According to Bloomberg, Washington wants to rewrite critical points of the agreement, turning the island into a place of unhindered military activity, in a negotiation that has become a central area for satisfying Donald Trump's demands.
The original 1951 agreement, as amended in 2004, stipulates that the US must “consult and inform” Denmark and Greenland before any “significant change” in its military operations or installations on the island. This is precisely the point that the American negotiators want to remove or weaken, so that there is no legal or political commitment.
People familiar with the talks told Bloomberg that the US side is seeking wording that would ensure complete freedom of movement, without time or operational restrictions. The final details of the agreement remain open and subject to negotiation.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said that “if this agreement is completed – and President Trump is very optimistic – the United States will achieve all of its strategic objectives in Greenland, at minimal cost and on a permanent basis.” She said more details would be announced once a final agreement was reached by all parties involved. The Danish embassy in Washington declined to comment.
This line is in line with what Trump himself has publicly stated. On Wednesday, he announced that there was a "framework for a future agreement" for Greenland, after his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum in Davos, without giving details.
"We're all going to work together. And NATO will be involved," Trump said, suggesting that the agreement would not only concern bilateral US-Denmark relations but also the alliance. Returning from Davos, he noted that he would make it clear within two weeks whether Copenhagen had given its consent.
In an interview with Fox Business, Trump was even clearer about his intentions: "We'll have all the military access we want. We'll be able to put whatever we need into Greenland. It's essentially full access, no end, no time limit."
A final deal could defuse what many describe as the most serious crisis in transatlantic relations since NATO's founding after World War II. According to previous reports by Bloomberg, the framework outlined by Trump includes, among other things, the deployment of American missile systems, mining rights aimed at excluding Chinese interests and a strengthened NATO presence in the Arctic. In return, the US President would commit to not imposing tariffs on European countries.
The strategy marks a shift from decades of sharply reducing the US presence in Greenland after the end of the Cold War. From as many as 17 bases, it now maintains one main installation with about 150 military personnel and more than 300 contractors, many of whom are Danish or Greenlandic.
It remains unclear, however, to what extent Denmark and Greenland would accept changes of such a scale. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said that both sides are open to “further expansion” of the 1951 defense agreement, but stressed that this must be done “in a proper and respectful manner.”
Former US officials note that the current framework already leaves significant room for manoeuvre in Washington, and that both Denmark and Greenland have for years encouraged a greater US military presence, as it also supports the local economy. As Iris Ferguson, a former US deputy assistant secretary of defence, commented, “there was always a willingness to talk” whenever the Americans asked for more involvement – a reality that explains why Greenland is now at the centre of a geostrategic bargain with global implications.
