Donald Trump is accelerating on the Greenland issue. Just a few days after the announcement of a new security agreement with the Arctic territory and Denmark, the American president unveiled on Tuesday his plan to considerably strengthen the American military presence on the island. On the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, he announced the construction of two “very large military bases”.
Donald Trump clarified the contours of this new strategy by declaring: “We will immediately begin developing a significant military presence in relevant locations. » Since his return to the White House in January 2025, he has regularly shown his interest in Greenland, repeatedly raising the possibility of attaching the island to the United States.
The agreement not yet made public
This announcement comes as Donald Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and the head of the Greenlandic government Jens-Frederik Nielsen officially signed, on Tuesday, the security agreement mentioned a few days earlier. The text notably provides for the installation of two new American military infrastructures: one in Narsarsuaq, in the south of Greenland, the other in Mestersvig, in the east. They would complement the Pituffik base, located in the north of the island and considered strategic for the American anti-missile defense system.
The agreement, presented as “aimed at strengthening security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic region”has not yet been made public. Copenhagen, however, assures that it “recognizes” the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, as well as the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination.
Washington, for its part, asserts that the system must prevent China and Russia from installing military bases or making certain sensitive investments in Greenland without American agreement. “This is something that we have agreed on with the Americans for a long, long time: the Arctic region, the North Atlantic, constitutes an important defense zone for all members of the NATO alliance,” Mette Frederiksen recalled.
Donald Trump welcomed this agreement and the prospects it opens for the American presence in the Arctic. The American president notably mentioned “the absolutely bright future” of “sexiest country in the world”.
