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NATO backs US, Denmark deal over Greenland security

Updated Sep 20, 2026, 6:34pm EDT
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Houses stand in front of the mountain Sermitsiaq, in Nuuk, Greenland.
Tim Barsoe/Reuters

NATO endorsed an agreement between the US and Denmark to expand Washington’s military presence in Greenland, potentially forestalling President Donald Trump’s demands to take over the Arctic territory.

The agreement provides a potential US veto power over Russian and Chinese investments on Greenland, makes permanent Washington’s military presence, and allows for more US bases.

The deal notably falls short of American ownership — an earlier demand by Trump that had strained NATO to its breaking point.

The deal should “begin the process of healing,” Atlantic Council experts said, though the specter of US aggression against treaty allies kicked off a European “hedging and diversification strategy” that will likely continue.

“The transatlantic bond is growing colder and far more transactional,” The Economist wrote.

Americans’ stance on Greenland takeover
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