European Centre for Counterterrorism and Intelligence Studies, Germany & Netherlands – ECCI
NATO, Denmark deny Trump’s Greenland ‘deal’ compromises sovereignty
euractiv ـ The US president has offered almost no details about the deal, struck after last night’s meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Davos
US President Donald Trump’s shock announcement of a “framework” agreement over Greenland has sparked confusion across Europe, with NATO and Denmark vehemently affirming that Copenhagen’s control over the territory has not been compromised.
Amid reports that the US could be granted limited sovereignty over American military bases on the island, the US president has offered almost no details about the deal, discussed during last night’s meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Davos.
Trump told US channel CNBC last night that “mineral rights” and his “Golden Dome” missile defence system will both be “involved” in the agreement, which he described as “a little bit complex”.
But Trump has refused to confirm that his core demand that the US “own” the island – made repeatedly during an hour-long speech in the Swiss resort town earlier on Wednesday – will be part of the agreement.
A senior European official said EU leaders will be briefed on the deal’s details by Rutte during an emergency European Council in Brussels tonight, which was called after Trump threatened tariffs on EU countries that refuse to back his efforts to acquire Greenland. Trump dropped the threat of levies last night.
“As far as we understand” Rutte and Trump agreed on a “two-track approach,” the official said. One track was “centred on Arctic security,” while the other was “more bilateral approach” based “on a defence treaty between Denmark and the United States.”
Early on Thursday morning, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen reiterated her refusal to compromise over Greenland’s sovereignty.
“Our red lines are the same as they have been throughout, and as they will continue to be: that we will not, of course, relinquish sovereignty,” Frederiksen said, speaking to Danish broadcaster TV2. She added that Copenhagen remains “in a difficult and grave situation” despite “some progress” having been made.
Frederiksen also underlined that Rutte cannot negotiate on behalf of the Kingdom of Denmark.
“What NATO can negotiate is what NATO intends to do within the Arctic region,” she said.
Speaking to Fox News late Wednesday, Rutte said that the question of sovereignty did not come up in his discussions with Trump. In a subsequent interview with Reuters on Thursday, the former Dutch premier also denied that mineral rights were discussed during his meeting with Trump, contradicting the US president’s claim that they were.
A NATO spokesperson told Euractiv that the “Secretary General did not propose any compromise to sovereignty during his meeting with President Trump.”
Rutte also said in the interview with Reuters that the deal will see NATO allies increase their military presence in the Arctic.
“I have no doubt we can do this quite fast,” he said, adding that his “hope” is that this will happen “early in 2026.”
Adding to the confusion, early on Thursday morning, the New York Times cited two unnamed officials briefed on last night’s discussions who said that the deal is modelled on one between the United Kingdom and Cyprus, whereby UK military bases on the island are officially regarded as British territory. The Telegraph also reported last night that the deal will see some military bases regarded as sovereign US territory.
Another senior EU diplomat said that, apart from the issue of sovereignty over US military sites, the deal is essentially “what the Danes have offered the Americans for the last twelve months”.
The diplomat added that they knew “nothing” about whether the agreement included a formal recognition of US sovereignty over its military bases. “There are no details, there is just a very broad brushstroke framework,” they said.
Axios, meanwhile, reported that two unnamed sources were claiming that the agreement would update the 1951 “Greenland Defence Agreement” between the US and Denmark – but that this wouldn’t include any compromises by Copenhagen over the island’s sovereignty.
The agreement, signed in 1951, formalised an American presence that began ten years earlier, when US forces temporarily occupied the territory to prevent a Nazi invasion during the Second World War.
Existing US-Denmark agreement gives ‘wide access’
Ole Spiermann, a former professor of international law and a regular advisor to the Greenlandic government, told Euractiv that the 1951 agreement between Denmark and the US already gives Washington wide access to Greenland – but not sovereignty over any part of it.
Still, “you can do a lot in practical terms” under the 1951 deal, Spiermann said. “You can create a situation that day to day is not too different from US sovereignty. That is also what the Danish government and the Greenlandic government have been saying.”
The 1951 deal allows the US to increase its presence in Greenland largely at will. It also allows the US to operate freely across its military bases, while Danish officials have the right to access them.
The Pituffik base is the only remaining US base on Greenlandic soil, located about 1,500 kilometers north of Greenland’s capital, Nuuk. The base is used to monitor outer space and detect potential incoming ballistic missiles.
“Sovereignty has not been granted under that agreement,” said Spiermann. “On the contrary, the agreement explicitly refers to ‘the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark’, which is the very basis for the whole Agreement.”
Frederiksen has previously pointed out that the 1951 agreement gives Washington “broad access to Greenland.”
European Centre for Counterterrorism and Intelligence Studies, Germany & Netherlands – ECCI
