Greenland welcomes US military pact but residents remain distrustful of Washington AFTER year of threats

From the Newshound archive · first published 22 September 2026 · last updated 24 September 2026.

Greenland's parliament speaker Kim Kielsen urged households to fly the Greenlandic flag on Wednesday as the territory's government expressed relief at a trilateral defence deal signed with the US and Denmark at the UN General Assembly in New York. Trump, Danish PM Mette Frederiksen and Greenland PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen inked the agreement on Tuesday, allowing Washington to reopen Cold War-era bases at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig and expand its Pituffik Space Base. Many Greenlanders remain wary, with resident Jensia Dam-Davidsen, 40, saying Trump is "really good at creating a lot of worry and a lot of fear".

The deal stops short of annexation but grants the US 'permanent control' over Greenland's security and bans adversaries from any military presence without American written approval.

A 'Golden Dome' ballistic missile defence system is also permitted under the text, cementing Greenland's role as a frontline Arctic shield against Russia and China.

Greenlandic MP Naaja Nathanielsen warned that 'work needs to be done to reassure the local population' given the deep scepticism left by months of Trump's annexation threats.