Greenland Says U.S. Military Expansion Is Being Discussed With Trump Officials

Greenland's authorities confirmed Tuesday that an expanded U.S. military presence on the Arctic island is part of ongoing talks with U.S. and Danish officials, marking a new phase in President Donald Trump's push to increase Washington's leverage over the strategically vital territory.

Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said negotiations involving Greenland, Denmark and the United States are underway, but no agreement has been reached. Reuters reported that the discussions include possible increases to the U.S. military footprint in Greenland, where Washington already operates Pituffik Space Base in the island's far north.

The talks come months after Trump reignited tensions with Denmark and Greenland by repeatedly saying the United States should acquire or control Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenlandic and Danish leaders have rejected any transfer of sovereignty while leaving room for deeper security cooperation with Washington.

U.S. officials have raised the possibility of new military facilities in southern Greenland, including at Narsarsuaq and Kangerlussuaq, both former U.S. military locations. The United States currently has one major military site on the island, Pituffik Space Base, a key installation for missile warning and space surveillance.

Nielsen said Greenland remains open to stronger cooperation with the United States on defense and economic development, including mineral resources, but made clear that sovereignty is not part of the negotiation.

The issue is politically sensitive because Greenland sits at the center of a growing Arctic competition involving the United States, Russia and China. The island's location gives it strategic importance for North Atlantic defense, missile monitoring and polar access.

Its mineral resources have also drawn interest as the United States looks to reduce dependence on China for rare earths and other critical materials. A Congressional Research Service report earlier this year noted that one option for the Trump administration's Greenland policy could be expanding the U.S. military presence on the island.

The legal basis for American military activity in Greenland dates to a 1951 defense agreement between the United States and Denmark, which gave Washington broad military rights on the island within a NATO framework. During World War II and the Cold War, the U.S. maintained several military sites in Greenland, but its presence was later reduced.

The current talks suggest the Trump administration may be trying to turn its broader Greenland ambitions into a more conventional security arrangement: more military access, more surveillance capability and possibly new facilities, without an immediate transfer of sovereignty.