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Danish military participate in exercise with troops from several European NATO members in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, last September Alamy Stock Photo
Greenland
Vague details emerge of Trump's Greenland 'deal' but Denmark is sticking to its red lines
Trump said the deal reached yesterday with NATO gives the US ‘everything we wanted’.
DENMARK HAS SAID the sovereignty of Greenland is a “clear red line” and that Nato cannot negotiate an agreement with US president Donald Trump on its behalf.
Trump yesterday backed down on threats to seize Greenland by force from Denmark and announced a vague deal aimed at ensuring security of the Arctic territory.
He gave no further details of the deal, but a source close to the talks said that a 1951 Greenland defence pact would be renegotiated as part of it.
That 1951 defence pact allows the US to keep its three main military bases in Greenland and to establish new bases if deemed necessary by NATO.
The decades-old agreement, updated in 2004, also essentially gives Washington carte blanche to ramp up its troop deployments provided it informs the authorities in Denmark and Greenland in advance.
Trump meanwhile also lifted the promise of sanctions against European nations that spoke out against the threats to Denmark and remarked that the deal gives Washington “everything we wanted”.
Trump told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos that the “framework of a future deal” was negotiated with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and would last “forever”.
“I think it puts everybody in a really good position, especially as it pertains to security, and minerals and everything else,” Trump said.
Trump insists the mineral-rich Arctic island is vital for US and NATO security against Russia and China.
Rutte, meanwhile, remarked that the meeting with Trump had been “very good” but that there was “still a lot of work to be done” on Greenland.
Rutte added that the subject of Greenland’s sovereignty “did not come up” in his talks with Trump.
In a statement today, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called for “constructive” talks over Greenland that respect the territorial integrity of the EU and NATO member.
“We can negotiate all political aspects: security, investment, the economy,” said Frederiksen.
“But we cannot negotiate our sovereignty. I have been informed that this has not been the case.”
Frederiksen said she spoke with Rutte before and after his meeting with Trump in Davos.
Meanwhile, Denmark’s deputy prime minister and defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen this morning said that Denmark “will not cede sovereignty over parts of the Kingdom” and that this is a “clear read line”.
In a post on social media, he said there will be “more difficult conversations” with the US but added that “we are in a much better place today than we were yesterday” following talks between Trump and Rutte.
He said he had informed Rutte of Denmark’s “red lines” and added that the Nato Secretary-General “cannot negotiate an agreement on behalf of Denmark or Greenland”.
Lund Poulsen added that his “impression” is that Rutte has worked “loyally for the unity of NATO”.
Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheál Martin is in Brussels today to attend an informal meeting of the European Council.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Martin welcomed the decision by Trump not to impose tariffs on EU member states.
He also welcomed “negotiations to find a way forward on Greenland”.
Martin added that the EU “remains united and firm in its insistence that the future of Greenland is a matter to be determined by Denmark and by the Greenlandic people”.
“Protecting the sovereignty of EU Member States, our values and our economies, as well as the much valued transatlantic relationship, will continue to be our goal,” said Martin.
-With additional reporting from AFP 2026
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