US, Denmark, and Greenland Sign Agreement to Strengthen Arctic Security

UNITED NATIONS: President Donald Trump has signed an agreement with Denmark and Greenland aimed at strengthening Arctic and North Atlantic security, easing tensions over his repeated calls for Greenland to become part of the United States. The signing Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York comes days after Trump announced the deal to bolster US military presence on the vast, icy island but keep it under Danish control. The agreement would still apply if Greenland eventually chooses independence. "This is tremendous for Europe and for the United States and for everybody," Trump said just before the agreement was signed. "And for Greenland, it's going to be incredible." Trump has expressed his desire to acquire Greenland since as long ago as 2019 and, during his second term, has issued threats to seize the semiautonomous territory from Denmark, a NATO ally. On Tuesday, he did not respond to questions about whether a US acquisition of Greenland was off the table. Officials from the US, Greenland and Denmark negotiated for months behind the scenes, searching for solutions to address some of Trump's security concerns about the mineral-rich island. Trump's designs on Greenland strained relations within NATO, with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warning a US takeover would amount to the end of the Atlantic alliance. The standoff unsettled many of Greenland's roughly 56,000 people and drove a wedge between the US and Denmark and its European Union partners, who stepped up security exercises on and monetary support for the island.