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Cake day: April 26th, 2026
  • Molvorin@feddit.dktoUnited States | News & Politics@lemmy.ml•Trump is hailing his new deal with Greenland and Denmark - but a deal already existed. So what changed?
    5·
    3 days ago

    Here is an article from the Danish state media sdeaceube the main differences between the old and new agreement

    https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/groenland/overblik-hvad-staar-der-i-den-nye-aftale

    Greenland: What’s in the New Agreement?

    An agreement that carries the 1951 defense agreement into 2026.

    That’s how the chairman of Naalakkersuisut, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, put it shortly after signing a new agreement with Denmark and the USA.

    Six pages, three signatures, that at a stroke appear to have patched up part of the otherwise strained relationship between the Kingdom of Denmark and the USA.

    But what does the agreement actually mean? And how — how much — does it differ from the old 1951 agreement? We take a closer look here.

    First, Donald Trump wanted to buy and own Greenland. Then he couldn’t rule out that he would use military force in Greenland. He has called Greenland “a large, poorly run chunk of ice.”

    Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Mette Frederiksen have repeatedly responded by saying that Greenland is not for sale.

    That’s why, from both a Danish and a Greenlandic perspective, there are probably no more important words in the agreement than these: the agreement now establishes that Greenland itself has the right to decide its own future. In black and white — with Donald Trump’s signature.

    With one addition, however: Greenland must remain in NATO if it one day wants to become independent — “if necessary by applying for membership.” In addition, Greenland must also take on “all of the rights and obligations of the Kingdom of Denmark that follow from this agreement.”

    The USA will build two new military bases in Greenland

    There have been rumors about this for a few days, but now it can be read in black and white in the agreement.

    The agreement states that the USA is granted “permission to establish an additional defense area at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig.”

    • Narsarsuaq (South Greenland) previously hosted a large American military base, Bluie West 1, active from 1941 to 1958.
    • Mestersvig (Greenland’s east coast) currently hosts a station under the Arctic Command, used among others by the Sirius sled patrol.

    Currently, the USA has one military base in Greenland: Pituffik Space Base, in northwestern Greenland. Under the new agreement, the USA is granted “permission to modernize and expand its activities” there.

    The former Thule base, now called Pituffik Space Base, housed up to 10,000 American soldiers and other personnel in the early 1950s. The Danish Defence estimated in September 2025 that there are around 150 American soldiers at the base, plus civilian employees.

    The USA is also given the opportunity to establish “additional defense areas in Greenland and strengthen its military operations or facilities.” However, designating and establishing a new defense area — i.e., more bases — will require approval from both Denmark and Greenland.

    Golden Dome

    One notably new addition compared to the old agreement is the establishment of what’s known as a Golden Dome defense system.

    Donald Trump has repeatedly spoken about Golden Dome — a massive missile defense system meant to function as a “shield,” with parts previously envisioned in space and parts on the ground.

    Although Golden Dome is only mentioned once in the new agreement, according to defense correspondent Mads Korsager other elements may relate to that same system — namely, the USA may be permitted to establish unmanned military installations, according to the agreement.

    Submarines

    At the subsequent press conference, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen highlighted something else entirely new in the agreement: submarines. This was not permitted under the previous 1951 agreement.

    The new agreement now states that it brings together Greenland, Denmark and the USA in “the parties’ efforts toward collective defense and the preservation of peace and security.”

    Who’s shut out

    Point 10 of the agreement states that the door is closed to “states or investors from a state that is not a member of NATO, a NATO partner, or an EU member state” — they are not to be permitted to make investments that could pose a threat to national security or public order within particularly sensitive sectors.

    The agreement thus draws clear lines around who can invest in Greenland — viewed positively from both a Greenlandic and Danish perspective.

    A long title

    The agreement’s own title is on the long side:

    “Agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark together with Naalakkersuisut and the Government of the United States of America concerning the amendment and supplementation of the agreement of 27 April 1951 pursuant to the North Atlantic Treaty between the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark and the Government of the United States of America on the Defense of Greenland (the 1951 Defense Agreement), together with subsequent relevant supplementary agreements related thereto.”

    This is because the agreement signed today amends and supplements what is known as the defense agreement complex — what many now call “the old agreement,” consisting among other things of the 1951 defense agreement.

    Take, for example, the possibility of establishing military bases: the new agreement states directly that “the parties shall make the best possible use of the procedures set out in the Defense Agreement Complex, including the 1951 Defense Agreement and the 2004 Igaliku Agreement, as amended and supplemented herein.” The wording in the two agreements is, in many respects, quite similar.

    Key points:

    • The agreement has no end date.
    • It can only be amended by mutual consent, in accordance with Article XIII of the 1951 Defense Agreement.
    • If Greenland at some point decides to become an independent state, both the Danish and Greenlandic governments must ensure that an independent Greenland commits to remaining in NATO, and that the new agreement with the USA continues to apply.