Greenland agreement respects Danish control — Axios

Background

On January 21, Trump and Rutte met to discuss the Greenland agreement.

In a speech in Davos, the US President said the United States "needs" Greenland but added that he would not use force to take the island. He initially called Denmark "weak" and NATO "ungrateful" while urging immediate negotiations.

However, his tone was markedly different when he emerged, hours later, from a long meeting with Rutte, in which the NATO chief outlined the proposed framework.

"We have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region," the US President wrote on social media, adding that he would not impose tariffs on eight European countries starting February 1 over Greenland.

When asked whether Greenland would become part of the US, Trump avoided a direct answer, describing the deal as "long-term, infinite, forever."

NATO Secretary General told Fox News that the question of who would control Greenland "did not come up" in the meeting. According to him, the agreement involved all of NATO and, in particular, the "seven Arctic allies" doing more to protect the Arctic region.

What sources say

Two Axios sources familiar with Rutte's proposal said the agreement does not involve transferring full sovereignty over Greenland from Denmark to the United States.

The plan includes updating the 1951 "Greenland Defense Agreement" between the US and Denmark, which allowed the US to build military bases on the island and establish "defense areas" if NATO believed it necessary.

Sources also said the agreement included sections on increasing security in Greenland and NATO activity in the Arctic, as well as additional work on raw materials.

Additionally, the proposal includes provisions on positioning the Golden Dome in Greenland and on countering "malign outside influence" by Russia and China.

"If this deal goes through, and President Trump is very hopeful it will, the US will be achieving all of its strategic goals with respect to Greenland, at very little cost, forever," the sources said.

Axios notes that Rutte's ideas align with a long-discussed Danish proposal, under which Denmark retains sovereignty while the US increases its military presence.

High-level negotiations between the US, Denmark, and Greenland on a potential agreement are expected in the coming weeks.

Additional details on Greenland

Earlier, The New York Times reported that senior NATO officials discussed a scenario in which Denmark could give the US control over parts of Greenland for military bases.

Trump has also previously stated that Greenland is needed for the US deployment of the Golden Dome missile defense system.

About a week ago, media reports suggested the US might purchase Greenland for $700 billion.