The United States, Denmark and Greenland are expected to sign a new Arctic security agreement in New York next week. A Danish defense researcher says the deal appears to change little compared with the 1951 base agreement.
DR reports that Peter Viggo Jakobsen, associate professor at the Royal Danish Defence College, sees no major changes in the new text. He noted that American forces have been able to move freely in Greenland since June 8, 1951, as long as Danish sovereignty is not restricted.
Per DR, the agreement is expected to be signed next week in New York, where the UN General Assembly is taking place. Sources told DR that Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Greenlandic leader Jens-Frederik Nielsen and President Donald Trump will sign at a ceremony.
Trump announced the agreement on his Truth Social account. He wrote that it gives the United States permanent control over security and all other needs in Greenland, and that it fully addresses all American concerns. According to Reuters, the announcement was made on September 18, 2026.
Jakobsen described the president’s conduct throughout the Greenland process as more theater than genuine military concern. As reported by DR, he said Washington had little choice but to present the outcome as a victory.
Focus shifting back to Russia
Jakobsen told DR the agreement is at least positive for NATO and the transatlantic relationship. He said Denmark would no longer need to send soldiers to Greenland to signal that it would resist an American takeover.
He referred to the Danish soldiers deployed to Greenland at the beginning of 2026 to prepare for a possible American takeover. He called the events of January bleak and said Moscow had laughed at them.
Jakobsen assessed that neither Russia nor China will be capable of military activity around Greenland for the next 10 to 20 years. He said Denmark’s real military challenges are around the Baltic Sea rather than in the Arctic.
Danish and Greenlandic officials have been visible in Greenland in recent weeks. DR notes that Defense Minister Jeppe Bruus and Greenland’s minister for foreign affairs, Múte B. Egede, visited the NATO exercise Arctic Shield 2026 in Narsarsuaq on September 9.
That exercise involved around 400 soldiers from about 10 NATO nations. The detailed contents of the new agreement between the United States, Denmark and Greenland have not been published, and DR states that the signing process is also not yet fully known.
