According to information voiced by U.S. President Donald Trump on January 21, the draft agreement regarding Greenland, prepared in collaboration with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, stipulates that Denmark will retain its rights to the island, as reported in an Axios article citing two sources.
According to their data, the new plan will update the Agreement on the Protection of Greenland, signed in 1951. This will allow the U.S. to expand its rights to build military bases and create "defense zones" on the island. Additionally, the agreement includes the placement of elements of the "Iron Dome" air defense system in Greenland, which Trump mentioned.
Furthermore, as Axios sources inform, joint exploration of Greenland's natural resources with Denmark is planned.
The publication notes that the ideas proposed by Rutte resonate with long-standing Danish proposals: Denmark retains sovereignty, while the U.S. gains the opportunity to increase its military presence.
According to The Telegraph, the deal proposed by Trump does not include the purchase of Greenland. Instead, the U.S. wants to establish control over military bases in certain regions of the island.
Moreover, the British newspaper Daily Mail reports that the Trump administration is considering offering each of Greenland's 57,000 residents one million dollars if they vote for the island's annexation to the U.S. This would lead to total payments of 57 billion dollars.
This initiative is seen as a way to strengthen the American military presence in the region.
Denmark, for its part, continues to insist that its position on Greenland remains unchanged: Copenhagen rejects the possibility of transferring or selling the island, emphasizing that any decisions regarding its status require the consent of the Danish side.
"This will not happen. The U.S. will not own Greenland. This is a red line," said Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen in an interview with DR television.
The U.S. began to express its claims on Greenland with Trump's return to the White House. This rhetoric intensified in January 2026 after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Trump claims that Greenland is necessary for the U.S. to ensure national security in light of threats from Russia and China, insisting that Denmark, which governs the island, is unable to protect it. Against the backdrop of these statements, eight European countries sent their military to Greenland, prompting Trump to threaten to impose tariffs. In his keynote speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21, he noted that he does not intend to use force, but the U.S. still plans to acquire Greenland. In conclusion, Trump added that the tariffs scheduled for February 1 will not be imposed.
