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By Ellie Cook
Senior Defense Reporter
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President Donald Trump has said he agreed a "framework of a future deal" over Greenland, after weeks of escalating tensions across the Atlantic over the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
Trump offered few specifics as he said his raft of threatened tariffs against eight close U.S. allies would not come into force as planned on February 1.
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Scant details have been made public, and it's not clear how involved Denmark and Greenland have been in negotiations.
British newspaper The Telegraph reported late on Wednesday U.S. military bases on Greenland would be deemed American territory under the new agreement. The U.K. has a similar agreement for its military installations in Cyprus.
"It's the ultimate long-term deal," Trump told reporters in the Swiss town of Davos late on Wednesday. "It puts everybody in a really good position, especially as it pertains to security and to minerals."
"It’s a deal that’s forever," he added.
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Sovereignty Did Not Come Up, Says NATO Chief
The president did not address the thorny issue of sovereignty over Greenland, shortly after he claimed the strategic landmass was "part of North America" and "our territory" in a wide-ranging, often scathing speech to world leaders gathered in Switzerland. But he said in his address the U.S. sought "immediate negotiations" to acquire Greenland.
The U.S. was already granted military access to Greenland under a 1951 defense agreement, and European officials have been broadly receptive to a stronger U.S. military presence on the territory, as long as it is agreed with America's allies. The U.S. has pulled back from Greenland in recent years, although roughly 150 personnel are stationed at the Pituffik Space Base, perched on Greenland's northwestern coast.
"We had 17 bases and 20,000+ soldiers in Greenland during the Cold War," said Eric Rubin, a former ambassador to Bulgaria now with the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA). He told Newsweek this was then reduced to one base.
Philip Kosnett, a former U.S. ambassador to Kosovo who also now works with the CEPA think tank, told Newsweek: "Offering to give the U.S. sovereignty over bases is an outcome Trump could declare as victory."
NATO chief Mark Rutte told Reuters on Thursday a significant part of the Greenland deal would see NATO allies very rapidly beefing up Arctic security, adding he hoped the results would be visible "even early in 2026."
But Rutte "did not propose any compromise to sovereignty during his meeting with President Trump," NATO spokesperson Allison Hart told Newsweek, echoing Rutte's comments to Fox News that sovereignty had not come up during his Wednesday evening discussion with the president.
Talks between Washington, Nuuk and Copenhagen "will go forward aimed at ensuring that Russia and China never gain a foothold—economically or militarily—in Greenland," Hart added.
This has been a major part of the White House's public rationale in wanting to control Greenland. The administration has repeatedly said the U.S. is the only country that can secure Greenland and bat away Beijing and Moscow, although Danish and European officials have played down the threat Russia and China pose to Greenland in the near future.
Trump had dismissed the idea of leasing territory earlier this month, telling reporters: "You defend ownership. You don't defend leases. And we'll have to defend Greenland. If we don't do it, China or Russia will."
"Who the hell wants to defend a license agreement or a lease?" Trump said on Wednesday.
Denmark and Greenland have insisted the mostly ice-covered island is not for sale. For the U.S. to take Greenland by force would be a serious violation of international law and would undermine NATO's founding principles, although Trump appeared to rule this out on Wednesday.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Thursday Copenhagen was willing to negotiate on "everything political," which she described as security arrangements in Greenland, economic deals and investment.
"But we cannot negotiate on our sovereignty," Frederiksen said in a statement. "I have been informed that this has not been the case either."
Mineral Rights
Greenland is valuable not just for its location. It is rich in natural resources like fossil fuels and minerals. Trump told CNBC shortly after publishing his Truth Social message mineral rights would be woven into the deal.
Rasmus Jarlov, a member of Copenhagen's parliament with the opposition conservative party and the chair of the defense committee, told Newsweek on Wednesday—ahead of Trump's declaration—he expected an eventual deal to focus on mining projects and access to minerals.
Missile Defense
Trump told CNBC the U.S.'s planned Golden Dome missile defense shield would be built into an agreement. In a brief reference to the Golden Dome in his social media post, Trump said "additional discussions are being held" about the initiative and Greenland's role.
The Golden Dome project is ambitious and likely to be enormously expensive. It will, according to the administration, shield the U.S. against "next-generation" threats—such as ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles.
Greenland is critical for ballistic missile defense. Pituffik is vital for picking up missile launches toward the U.S. mainland, monitoring space and watching out for submarines.
"The Kingdom of Denmark wishes to continue to engage in a constructive dialogue with allies on how we can strengthen security in the Arctic, including the US's Golden Dome, provided that this is done with respect for our territorial integrity," Denmark's Frederiksen said on Thursday.
Greenlandic Opinion
Greenlandic leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in an unambiguously worded statement last week: "Greenland is not for sale. Greenland does not want to be owned by the United States."
"Greenland does not want to be governed from the United States," he added at the time. "Greenland does not want to be part of the United States." Many Greenlanders are in favor of the territory eventually cutting ties with Denmark, but opinion polls show the overwhelming majority of Greenlanders do not want to become part of the U.S.
Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic member of the Danish parliament, said late on Wednesday Trump's statements on the territory were "completely absurd."
"NATO has absolutely no mandate to negotiate anything whatsoever without us in Greenland," Chemnitz said in a post to social media. "Nothing about us, without us."
Update 1/22/2026 at 7.08 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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