Donald Trump said that Denmark gave Greenland to the United States, presenting the security agreement signed in September on the island as an American acquisition. He spoke at a campaign rally in Perry, Georgia, ahead of the midterm elections for Congress, scheduled for November 3.
“By the way, Denmark was great. They gave us Greenland“, Trump told supporters. He described the arrangement as “the greatest real estate deal”, adding that perhaps the exception was another deal related to Venezuela. "We got them for a song," the president said, referring to Greenland and Venezuela.
On September 22, Trump, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Fredrik Nielsen signed a trilateral document at the United Nations headquarters in New York. The agreements allow for a larger American military presence and expand Washington's role in Arctic and North Atlantic security. However, Denmark and Greenland do not present the agreement as a transfer of territory. In their statements, both countries emphasized that the Kingdom of Denmark retains its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the Greenlanders retain their right to self-determination.
"The agreement recognizes and respects the sovereignty, territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the right of the Greenlanders to self-determination," Frederiksen said after the signing. Nielsen also pointed out that the treaty recognizes Greenland as a people with its own right to self-determination.
Reuters reported that the treaty provides for the expansion of US military infrastructure and presence, but does not change the formal status of the island. Before the signing, Trump spoke of “permanent control“ over Greenland's security, while Copenhagen insisted that responsibility should remain within the framework of cooperation between Denmark, Greenland, the US and NATO.
Parliamentary approval to follow
The agreement still has to go through the necessary parliamentary procedures before it can enter into force. This means that the actual implementation of the arrangements will depend on approval in Denmark and Greenland, as well as on the subsequent organization of the US presence.
For Washington, the treaty is a way to increase its role in protecting the strategic Arctic island and limit the ability of other countries to build military infrastructure there. For Denmark and Greenland, the key condition remains unchanged sovereignty, although the US receives broader powers in the security sphere.
Sources: apnews.com, investing.com, cbsnews.com