US holds secret talks on new Greenland bases - BBC reveals key detail
Photo: The US is holding secret talks over bases in Greenland (Getty Images)
The United States and Denmark are holding secret negotiations over expanding the US military presence in Greenland. Washington wants to establish three new bases on the island to monitor Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic, BBC reports.
According to BBC sources, talks between American and Danish officials have been ongoing for several months and have recently gained momentum. The discussions focus on creating new facilities in southern Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark.
The US wants to strengthen control over the so-called GIUK gap — a strategic area in the North Atlantic between Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom that is considered crucial for monitoring Russian and Chinese naval activity.
According to one source familiar with the negotiations, US officials proposed an arrangement under which the three new military bases would be officially designated as sovereign US territory.
One of the bases could be built in Narsarsuaq, at the site of a former US military base with a small airport. Other facilities are also expected to be located in areas that already have ports or airfields.
The White House confirmed that negotiations with Denmark and Greenland are ongoing but declined to comment on their content. Washington said it remains "very optimistic" about the progress of the talks.
According to the BBC, the negotiations are being led by senior US State Department official Michael Needham.
Denmark is represented in the negotiations by Jeppe Tranholm, Denmark’s Permanent State Secretary of Foreign Affairs and chief Danish negotiator; Jesper Møller Sørensen, Denmark’s ambassador to the United States; and Jakob Isbosethsen, Greenland’s top diplomat in Washington.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the talks with the United States had "taken some steps in the right direction."
"We can have robust discussions, and we can meet, but it will be with respect, as we have been saying from the beginning. We are not to be taken. We are not for sale, and that will be the narrative of the meeting," he added.
The US currently has one military base in Greenland, compared to about 17 at the height of the Cold War. Pituffik Space Base is located in northwestern Greenland and is used to monitor missiles for NORAD, but it is not equipped for maritime surveillance operations.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in purchasing Greenland. In 2025, he threatened to get the island by any means, triggering a diplomatic crisis in Europe.
In February 2026, Trump claimed that a framework agreement for the purchase of the island was nearly finalized.
However, Greenlandic authorities have set red lines in negotiations with the United States, stressing that they will not allow any violation of Greenland’s autonomy.
