President Donald Trump said on Thursday he had secured total and permanent US access to Greenland through a framework agreement discussed with NATO, prompting European leaders to weigh their response as concerns over Arctic security grow. The announcement came after Trump stepped back from earlier tariff threats against Europe and ruled out taking the island by force, easing what had threatened to become a major rupture in transatlantic ties.
While Trump described the emerging deal as "much more generous to the United States" and promised "total access" with no end or time limit, details remain scarce. Denmark and Greenland stressed that sovereignty would not be compromised. Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed dialogue but insisted that territorial integrity and international law are non negotiable. "We cannot cross the red lines," he said in Nuuk.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said allies would need to increase their presence in the Arctic to counter potential threats from Russia and China. Sources familiar with the discussions said the framework could also include restrictions on Chinese and Russian investments in Greenland, while the exact terms of US military access would continue to be negotiated with Denmark and Greenland. Rutte added that NATO's senior commanders would work out the operational details "within months."
European leaders expressed caution. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the Greenland episode had "taken a big blow" on US-EU relations, while Finnish President Alexander Stubb and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for coordinated action to bolster Arctic security. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described the situation as serious but noted that progress had been made in framing a discussion on common security in the region...