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Trump, Greenland, Denmark sign deal in bid to end Arctic standoff: ‘Going to be a fantastic relationship’
Officials from the US, Greenland and Denmark reportedly negotiated for months before the deal was finalised.
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US President Donald Trump signed a security deal with the Greenland and Denmark at the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, in a bit to end the Arctic standoff.
"It's going to be a long-term, fantastic relationship," Trump said at the ceremony in New York, news agency AFP reported. Track live updates on UNGA
Notably, Trump had previously said that the arrangement would give America "permanent control" over security for Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory in the Arctic.
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"Mr. President, you have been very clear. You don't want adversaries to come too close," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was quoted as saying ahead of the signing.
"I fully agree, and with this deal, they are not," she added, noting that adversaries will not be allowed to get control or significant influence in the territory.
Officials from the US, Greenland and Denmark reportedly negotiated for months, searching for solutions to address some of Trump’s security concerns about the mineral-rich island.
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said that Greenland matters for North American security and for transatlantic security.
"This agreement reflects that we understand our responsibility and act accordingly," he added.
The deal allows the US to establish military bases at Narsarsuaq in the south, and Mestersvig on the east coast of the Arctic island, the text of the 10-page agreement showed, according to Reuters.
Trump's Greenland aspirations strained relations within NATO, with Frederiksen warning a US takeover would amount to the end of the Atlantic alliance.
The standoff unsettled many of Greenland's roughly 56,000 people and drove a wedge between the US and Denmark and its European Union partners, who stepped up security exercises on and monetary support for the island.
This comes amid Trump's speech at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly where he defended the US war against Iran and also said that Russia-Ukraine peace could be attained sooner than expected.
He also claimed that the communist island located 150 kilometers (90 miles) off Florida's coast represents an "extraordinary threat" to US national security. Cuban leaders slammed Trump over the allegations and dubbed his statement as ‘falsehood’.
