Greenland Deal Counters China and Russia, and It Cost the U.S. Nothing * The Gateway Pundit * by Antonio Graceffo

On September 22, 2026, the United States, Denmark and Greenland signed an agreement in New York amending the 1951 U.S.-Danish defense agreement for Greenland. It will take effect once Denmark and Greenland complete the required parliamentary procedures.

The agreement has no end date and can be amended only by mutual consent. If Greenland becomes independent, Denmark and Greenland must ensure that it remains in NATO and assumes Denmark’s rights and obligations under the agreement.

The 1951 Defense of Greenland agreement allowed the United States to establish and operate defense areas that Denmark was “unable to establish and operate single-handedly.” Both countries’ flags fly over the areas. Where the U.S. operates a defense area, it may build and maintain facilities, station personnel, provide security, deepen harbors, and control ship and aircraft movements without compensating Denmark. These rights do not affect Danish sovereignty.

Under the 1951 defense agreement, the U.S. has exclusive jurisdiction over the defense areas it operates, offenses committed anywhere in Greenland by its military and civilian personnel and their families, and other people in those areas except Danish nationals. U.S. vessels, aircraft and forces may move between defense areas through Greenland and its territorial waters.

U.S. aircraft may fly over and land anywhere in Greenland. U.S. supplies enter duty-free, covered personnel are exempt from Danish taxes, and U.S. property remains U.S. property. These rights are granted “without prejudice to the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark.” The agreement remains in effect for the duration of the North Atlantic Treaty.

The 2026 agreement builds on the 1951 framework. It allows the U.S. to expand operations at Pituffik Space Base, establish defense areas at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig under terms the parties must agree on, and propose others. Denmark and Greenland will review requests for unmanned military installations through an accelerated process. U.S. aircraft may fly over and land anywhere in Greenland, while U.S. public vessels may travel underwater through its territorial waters. The agreement reaffirms Danish sovereignty and territorial integrity, and Denmark commits to strengthening its Arctic land, maritime, air, and space capabilities.

Article IX bars non-NATO countries from establishing military installations or maintaining a persistent military presence in Greenland unless the parties agree otherwise. Article X restricts states and investors outside NATO, NATO partner countries and the EU from gaining control, significant influence or access to sensitive non-public information in sectors such as mining and critical infrastructure when that access could threaten national security or public order.

The agreement identifies “the extraction of resources” and critical infrastructure as particularly sensitive sectors, citing adversaries’ efforts to expand their influence and control in Greenland. Article VII allows the U.S. to raise concerns about construction near its defense areas and commits the parties to counter espionage.

Russia and China both fall outside NATO. Greenland forms the western border of the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom (GIUK) gap, which Russian Northern Fleet submarines pass through to reach the Atlantic, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, then NATO’s top commander in Europe, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in April 2025 testimony. Pituffik, operated by the U.S. Space Force, operates missile-warning radar, and the 2026 agreement cites a possible Golden Dome missile-defense system among the reasons for U.S. military access to Greenland.

Trump stated that “Russia or China” would take over Greenland if the U.S. did not act. In 2018, China Communications Construction Company, a Chinese state-owned firm, bid on a $560 million project to build Greenland airports, and Denmark reportedly offered to fund the project instead. Greenland holds 1.5 million tons of rare earth reserves, the eighth-largest in the world, including the Kvanefjeld and Tanbreez deposits. Chinese firm Shenghe Resources is the second-largest shareholder in Kvanefjeld. No rare earth mining has started in Greenland yet.

No shots were fired, and the agreement provides for no payment to Denmark or Greenland. Earlier U.S. proposals involved money. In 1946, the United States offered Denmark $100 million in gold for Greenland, but Denmark declined. A separate proposal involved Alaskan land and oil rights. In January 2026, Reuters reported discussions among U.S. officials about paying Greenlanders $10,000 to $100,000 each. For about 57,000 residents, that would total $570 million to $5.7 billion. No formal offer followed.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the deal as coming at “zero cost to the U.S. taxpayer.” The U.S. will still pay to build and operate its bases. It must award related contracts to Greenlandic businesses “to the maximum extent possible,” taking their capabilities and the feasibility of the work into account.