by Ben Whedon
President Donald Trump signed an historic deal Tuesday for a strategic alliance with Greenland and announced plans to build two U.S. military bases there as part of an effort to enhance security in the Arctic region.
While Trump floated the purchase of Greenland during both of his terms, he ultimately concluded a security agreement with Kingdom of Denmark to keep out non-NATO military bases and expand U.S. access to the island.
“As I announced just days ago, the United States has also reached an unprecedented agreement regarding the northern frontier of North America, the large and strategically vital piece of land known as Greenland,” Trump said during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly. “This agreement made with the Kingdom of Denmark, incredible, beautiful country, and the Greenland people itself, gives the United States permanent control over security and all other needs on that territory, we will have the complete ability to do what is necessary to defend the American continent and also Europe and other places.”
“We will immediately begin the process of developing a large military presence in the appropriate locations. We will be building two very major military bases. This agreement will be signed later today,” he said.
Greenland is of potentially pivotal security importance to the U.S. for securing the Arctic Ocean and its resources. At present, only Denmark, the U.S., Canada, Norway, and the U.S. have a meaningful presence in the region.
Trump portrayed the signing of the deal as a win for Europe.
“This is tremendous for Europe and for the United States and for everybody,” the American said. “And for Greenland, it’s going to be incredible.”
Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Denmark’s minister of foreign affairs, said on social media that the agreement between the three countries has “been a bumpy ride.”
“But here we are – with a deal in hand that we can all be very satisfied with. We share a long history. And we share a responsibility for the security of our region. Today, we take another important step together – with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination. History binds us together. Our future demands that we stand together,” Rasmussen explained.
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Ben Whedon is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
Photo “Donald Trump” by The White House.
