Today’s big topic: In the end, the nice Donald Trump ran out of words
U.S. President Donald Trump; his secretary of state, Marco Rubio; Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, and foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen; Greenland’s head of government, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, and Greenland’s foreign minister, Mute B. Egede, pose for a group photo after the agreement was signed late in the afternoon, Danish time.
What’s happening?
Late Tuesday afternoon, Donald Trump, Mette Frederiksen and Jens-Frederik Nielsen put pen to paper on the long discussed deal concerning US involvement in Greenland. Trump called the process with Denmark and Greenland »an amazing experience«.
Under the agreement, the United States is permitted to establish new military bases in Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland and at Mestersvig on the east coast. At the same time, the United States may expand its activities at the Pituffik base in northern Greenland
The new agreement also, for the first time, provides access to establish »unmanned military installations« outside the approved defense areas. That opens new possibilities for drone-based defense. Trump’s dream of a new missile-defense system – called Golden Dome – is also specifically mentioned in the agreement
Why it matters!
The signing of the agreement marks a provisional full stop to the yearslong conflict among the United States, Denmark and Greenland. In recent years, Trump has repeatedly demanded ownership and control of Greenland and for a long time refused to rule out a military takeover of the world’s largest island, which he has previously compared to a »real estate deal«.
The question is whether the threats against Greenland now stop. Whether the Greenlanders who have described anxiety symptoms and stomach knots can sleep soundly at night?
When the signing session was over, the Danish journalists began shouting the same question. What about owning Greenland?
Donald Trump did not answer.
Instead, he posed for photographs with America’s secretary of state, Marco Rubio, as well as Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Mette Frederiksen and Jens-Frederik Nielsen. He stood with his arms at his sides and ignored the questions, which were quickly drowned out by the sound of applause from diplomats, ministers and civil servants sitting in the front rows of the small room.
Still curious? Read the full article here.
In other news
– What the agreement says about the United States’ new role in Greenland
We’re sticking to the big talking point, the new agreement between Denmark, Greenland and the United States. Politiken has compared the new agreement to the one from 1951 to find out what is new.
Duration:
- 1951: As long as the 1949 NATO treaty remains in force, the agreement has no independent expiration date.
- 2026: Trump’s earlier interpretation is confirmed here. Under Article XI, the agreement has »no end date« and can be changed only if both parties agree.
American control over investment:
- The new agreement does not give the United States a direct approval right with respect to foreign investments. Instead, Greenland itself – in cooperation with Denmark and through its own screening laws – is to prevent investors from countries outside NATO, the European Union, or NATO’s partner circle from gaining control of, or insight into, particularly sensitive sectors such as critical infrastructure and resource extraction, unless the parties agree otherwise.
Read the full rundown here.
– The government will impose a temporary halt on new pig production starting Wednesday
With immediate effect, the government is imposing a temporary halt on expansions or the establishment of new pig-production operations. That means conventional pig producers will not be able to obtain permits to build new barns or expand existing pig barns over the next 12 months. The halt is intended to ensure that conventional pig production does not expand while the government maps out the industry’s future in the so-called four-party pig talks. In the government’s political platform, reforming Denmark’s pig industry is a central element. Animal welfare is to be improved, and production is to be organized so that there is less exporting and more processing and slaughtering of pigs in Denmark.
– The government postpones agriculture’s 10-billion-kroner climate fix
The government has postponed a major tender for one of agriculture’s most important climate technologies, pyrolysis. The tender was supposed to begin as early as next year and, in total, provide 10 billion kroner in state support through 2045 for pyrolysis. The government has nonetheless decided to pull the 192 million kroner that had already been earmarked for pyrolysis next year. Instead, the money will be used to cover part of the higher compensation for farmers who, starting next year, will be required to use less fertilizer to improve the marine environment.
Time to unwind and grab a snack:
The deep-fried chicken wings with teriyaki sauce were pretty irresistible.
The stream of news and speculations concerning the deal between Denmark, Greenland and the United States has been constant over the last handfull of days. If you need to relax or just take a bit of time to yourself, Monette’s Asian Shop and Restaurant, at Frederikssundsvej 314, near Husum Torv, is definitely worth a visit. It’s both a gathering place for Copenhagen’s Filipinos and a shop selling Filipino pantry goods, jewelry, beauty creams, dried fish, frozen foods, gin, ethanol, and the pain-relief patch Salonpas.
The whole shop is a wall of packed white shelves, which Monette has run for six years. Three years ago, she carved out room for a tiny restaurant in the same space, so now we’re sitting in the middle of an eccentric, astonishingly cozy everyday atmosphere. It’s easy, here, to let Copenhagen’s effortfulness drain out of your body.
We ended up outside with a cup of tea, as cars rushed by while pedestrians took their time. We talked about ’Smoke’ from 1995 and the pleasure of sitting in a neighborhood place and really connecting, while being 100 percent yourself. There was nothing spectacular to look at, and that’s why your eyes could finally relax.
The menu is fairly extensive, especially considering that everything is made from scratch and cooked to order.
These are inexpensive Filipino classics, and there’s plenty to forage through for both the picky and the adventurous. We started with the excellent spring rolls and then had another snack that was pure happiness. Deep-fried chicken wings with soft, tender meat were sprinkled with sesame on a glossy, glass-clear layer of soy-based teriyaki sauce – a fundamentally satisfying balance of sweet, sour, and salty. They were hard to stop eating. It’s primal, that kind of thing.
Read the full review here.
This newsletter features stories originally published in Danish. AI was used to shorten and translate the articles into English, after which a member of the editorial staff reviewed and refined the content.