Trump, Danish PM Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic PM Jens-Frederik Nielsen signed a Sept. 22 pact allowing two new U.S. bases and barring non-NATO states from establishing military sites in Greenland. The columnist urges resource cooperation and better ties.
The pact builds on the 1951 U.S.-Denmark-Greenland framework. It permits bases at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig; the U.S. currently has one base on the island, Pituffik Space Base. If Greenland becomes independent, the agreement requires the new state to remain in NATO and assume Denmark’s obligations. It also bars non-NATO countries from investing in sensitive sectors, reaffirms the Kingdom of Denmark’s sovereignty and recognizes Greenlanders’ right to self-determination.
Luke Coffey, the columnist, proposes a jointly run U.S.-Greenland fund tied to future resource revenues, modeled on the 2025 U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal. Greenland has two active mines and no rare-earth project in commercial production; geography, thin infrastructure, harsh climate and extraction challenges make many projects hard to justify commercially. Coffey calls the agreement a geopolitical triumph but a failure in alliance management, noting Denmark privately offered in January 2025 to boost the U.S. military presence. Trade and transport links remain limited; the only direct flight between the U.S. and Greenland runs twice weekly in summer, from Newark to Nuuk.
