By Sune Engel Rasmussen

President Trump signed a deal with the leaders of Greenland and Denmark to pave the way for a larger U.S. military presence on the Arctic island and end a monthslong standoff that has soured Washington's relations with European allies.

The three leaders met Tuesday at a signing ceremony on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The agreement builds on a 1951 treaty between the U.S. and Denmark, but adds provisions including a more significant buy-in from Greenland as a self-governing territory.

Here are the highlights.

Up front, the deal addresses the question of ownership. Trump has repeatedly said the U.S. must own Greenland. The agreement rules that out, emphasizing Danish sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as Greenlandic right to self-determination.

During World War II and the Cold War, the U.S. maintained more than 30 military bases and installations on Greenland. The 1951 treaty allowed the U.S. military almost unlimited permission to operate there, as long as it didn't impinge on Danish sovereignty or freedom of movement.

The new deal reaffirms the U.S. right to station troops and build bases in Greenland, but specifies two sites where its military will establish a presence in the short term. One site, Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland, was home to a U.S. air base built during World War II and abandoned in the 1950s. The other, Mestersvig, is a military outpost now used by the Danish special forces' Sirius Dogsled Patrol. The U. S. now operates one base in Greenland, Pituffik Space Base in the island's northwest, housing roughly 150 troops.

The agreement explicitly includes Greenland in Trump's proposed "Golden Dome" antimissile shield, meant to protect the U.S. homeland.

The deal ensures that no hostile states-specified as non-North Atlantic Treaty Organization or non-European Union members or partners-can establish military bases or invest in sensitive infrastructure in Greenland.

The deal addresses Trump's stated concerns about alleged Chinese and Russian espionage in Greenland by committing Denmark to work closely with U.S. authorities on the issue.

Finally, Trump has said the new deal gives the U.S. "permanent control over security and all other needs"" in Greenland, in perpetuity. The deal indeed has no expiration date, and as opposed to the 1951 treaty, which was contingent on Greenland being part of the Kingdom of Denmark, it will remain in force beyond a potential successful Greenlandic bid for independence.

Write to Sune Engel Rasmussen at sune.rasmussen@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 22, 2026 14:59 ET (18:59 GMT)