Will the U.S. now have bases in Greenland with American sovereignty, only to be used for military purposes?
We don’t know. The framework agreement reached between U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte remains as dark as a January night.
But we do know that Rutte has been working on the idea for some time, according to The New York Times. Officials who have anonymously discussed the idea compare it to Britain’s bases in Cyprus, which are considered British territory. According to them, the idea was brought up during the meeting between Rutte and Trump.
Britain has two military base areas in Cyprus, called Akrotiri and Dhekelia, which together form the so-called Sovereign Base Areas. These areas are British sovereign territory and do not fall under Cyprus or the EU, even though they are located in the middle of the island.
Sovereignty was established in 1960 when Cyprus became independent and is internationally recognized. It is narrowly defined: the bases can only be used for military purposes and cannot be developed as colonies. Britain has full legal and administrative control in the areas, even though Cypriot civilians live there, and Cyprus has no sovereign authority there.
Rutte has envisioned this framework as a way to satisfy Trump’s desire to acquire new territory. The question is whether it can fit within the Danish Realm and not deprive Greenlanders of their independence.
Several uncertainties
On Wednesday evening, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he and Rutte have now »formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region.«
Both Trump and Rutte confirm that they have agreed on what a future agreement might look like. There is no signed agreement yet. But according to Trump, the goal is to create an agreement that can last »indefinitely.« Trump canceled the announced tariffs against Denmark and other European countries on this basis.
According to Trump, the agreement will also mean increased American access to Greenland’s rare earth elements. Additionally, he can use Greenlandic territory for his missile defense project ’Golden Dome.’
A NATO spokesperson says the future agreement’s purpose is to »ensure that Russia and China never gain a foothold, either economically or militarily, in Greenland.« Here, sovereign American bases could commit the U.S. and perhaps deter Russia and China if those countries become more active in the area in the future than they are today.
Trump also states that U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will participate in the negotiations from the American side. It is still unclear who will participate from the Danish-Greenlandic-NATO side, and it is also not clear whether anyone from the Danish or Greenlandic side has been involved in the work on the framework agreement.
What will Trump say next?
In the days ahead, everyone will be watching to see whether Trump is actually ready to climb down from the lofty perch he’s put himself on. The framework deal was struck just hours after Trump told the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in the Alpine town of Davos that the United States should own Greenland. That won’t happen if Rutte’s plan goes ahead.
Something that might indicate Trump is retreating from the desire for ownership was when he was asked by CNN if that wish had been abandoned.
»Well it’s a little bit complex but we’ll explain it down the line,« Trump replied, who is usually not afraid to be assertive on uncertain grounds.
Today will likely bring updates from both Greenland and Denmark. Neither country was at the table when the framework deal was struck. They need to be included as things move forward, because as Greenlandic MP Aaja Chemnitz wrote in a Facebook post: »NATO has no unilateral mandate to negotiate anything without us in Greenland. Nothing about us, without us.«
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