Trump to ‘own’ Greenland by having sovereignty over military bases in draft deal: Report

In a deal meant as a compromise, US President Donald Trump could ‘own’ Denmark’s Greenland by securing sovereignty over the land on which US military bases are built on the island, according to The Telegraph.

Trump on Wednesday said his administration would surely acquire Greenland but without the use of force. Previously, he and his allies had repeatedly said they would invade Greenland if required to occupy the island.

The Telegraph reported that the deal about ‘sovereign base areas’ was reached in a meeting Trump and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday. It is not yet clear if Denmark and Greenland are onboard with the proposal.

The report came after Trump said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he had reached a “framework” for a deal to own Greenland.

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“Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of Nato, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region. This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all Nato nations. Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st,” said Trump.

US to follow Cyprus model in Greenland

Under the deal, the United States would follow the ‘UK-Cyprus’ model in Greenland to secure sovereignty over military bases whereas Denmark would have the sovereignty over the rest of the island, according to The Telegraph.

Under the UK-Cyprus deal, the United Kingdom has sovereignty in two areas where it has military bases. In the rest of the country’s territory, Cyprus has full sovereignty. The deal allows the UK to operate freely from those two bases.

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In the case of Greenland, if such an agreement is reached, it would be kind of an upgradation of a pre-existing agreement that allows the United States to build and operate military bases in Greenland with unrestricted “freedom of operation” between designated defence areas, including air, land, and sea.

The new deal would also allow the United States to control parts of Greenland in mineral-rich belts and extract natural resources without seeking permits or other approvals from Greenlandic or Danish authorities. Tapping into Greenland’s natural resources, such as oil, gas, and critical minerals, is understood to be a major driver of Trump’s desire to occupy Greenland.

Denmark appears to shoot down proposal

Hours after Trump’s announcement of a framework deal, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that sovereignty was not up for discussion.

In a statement in Danish, Frederiksen said that security and economy was up for negotiations but not sovereignty.

Frederiksen said, “NATO is fully aware of the Kingdom of Denmark’s position. We can negotiate on all political matters—security, investments, the economy. But we cannot negotiate our sovereignty.”

Frederiksen further said that “only Denmark and Greenland themselves can make decisions on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland”.

“The Kingdom of Denmark wishes to continue engaging in a constructive dialogue with allies on how we can strengthen security in the Arctic, including the United States’ Golden Dome, provided that this is done with respect for our territorial integrity,” said Frederiksen.