Denmark considers giving US parts of Greenland for military bases — NYT
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
NATO military officials have discussed a scenario under which Denmark could transfer control of parts of Greenland to the US for the construction of military bases, according to The New York Times.
"Top military officers from the alliance's member states discussed a compromise in which Denmark would give the United States sovereignty over small pockets of Greenlandic land where the United States could build military bases," according to three senior officials familiar with the discussion.
The media says that two of the officials, who attended the meeting, compared it to the United Kingdom's bases in Cyprus, which are regarded as British territory.
At the same time, officials said they did not know if the idea was part of the framework announced by Trump.
Asked for comment about the deal and its contents, NATO said in a statement that "negotiations between Denmark, Greenland, and the United States will go forward aimed at ensuring that Russia and China never gain a foothold—economically or militarily—in Greenland."
Background
As The New York Times reports, these discussions took place before Donald Trump said he would not impose tariffs and announced that he had reached a framework agreement with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Greenland's future.
On the evening of January 21, Trump wrote on social media that he and Rutte had "formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region."
"This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations," Trump added.
Reports of the agreement emerged just hours after Trump told European leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos that he would accept nothing less than Greenland being transferred into US ownership. He warned Europe of serious economic consequences and security risks if his goal was not achieved, while ruling out a military invasion of the island.
Trump has previously advocated placing Greenland under US control in order to deploy elements of the Golden Dome missile defense system.
In addition, media reports last week said the US could seek to buy Greenland for $700 billion.
