Trump floats US sovereignty over Greenland military bases

US President Donald Trump said the United States could gain sovereignty over areas of Greenland where American military bases are located, stopping short of full ownership of the island.

“We’ll have everything we want. We have some interesting talks going on,” Trump told The New York Post in an interview published on Saturday (January 24).

Trump said one proposal under discussion would allow the US to exercise “sovereignty” over American military installations on the island, including the strategically important Pituffik Space Base, without taking full control of Greenland.

The plan appears to represent a partial alternative to Trump’s long-standing demand for outright US ownership of the Arctic territory.

Pressure on Denmark continues

Trump has for months pressured Denmark to hand over Greenland, previously saying that “nothing short of ownership” would be acceptable to Washington.

His interest in the island featured prominently during his visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos this week.

‘Framework’ for a deal

Following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump said there was now a “framework” for an agreement related to Greenland, though he did not provide details.

Greenland sovereignty ‘non-negotiable’

Leaders of Denmark and Greenland on Thursday (January 22) firmly rejected any suggestion of compromising Greenland’s sovereignty after Trump claimed a “framework” agreement with NATO could give Washington “total access” to the Arctic territory.

“We cannot negotiate on our sovereignty,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement, adding that she had been informed no such compromise had been proposed.

Trump claims ‘total access’ to Greenland

Trump told Fox Business that discussions with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte could allow the US sweeping military access to Greenland.

“We’re going to have total access to Greenland,” Trump said. “We’re going to have all the military access we want.”

He described the discussions as a “framework of a future deal” that could also include placing elements of his multibillion-dollar “Golden Dome” missile defense system on the island.

NATO denies sovereignty compromise

NATO quickly pushed back against Trump’s characterisation of the talks.

“Allison Hart, a NATO spokesperson, said Secretary General Mark Rutte ‘did not propose any compromise to sovereignty’ during his meeting with President Trump,” adding that any negotiations would involve Denmark, Greenland and the US directly.

Danish officials also noted that NATO does not have a mandate to negotiate territorial arrangements on behalf of member states.

Denmark open to security cooperation

Frederiksen said discussions on Arctic security were “good and natural” given rising threats from Russia and China, but stressed they must respect territorial integrity.

“Denmark wants to continue engaging in constructive dialogue with allies on how to strengthen security in the Arctic,” she said, including cooperation on missile defense, “provided that this is done with respect for our territorial integrity.”

The US already maintains a military presence in Greenland under a 1951 treaty allowing base operations with Danish and Greenlandic consent.

Greenland leader draws a red line

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said he had no concrete details of the agreement Trump referenced and reiterated that sovereignty was not up for negotiation.

“I don’t know what there is in the agreement, or the deal about my country,” Nielsen told reporters in Nuuk.

Asked whether limited US sovereignty over parts of Greenland could be considered, he replied: “We are ready to negotiate a better partnership, but sovereignty is a red line.”

Tariffs dropped amid Greenland talks

Trump abruptly scrapped threatened tariffs on eight European countries on Wednesday, hours after saying he wanted Greenland “including right, title and ownership,” though he insisted he would not use force.