Donald Trump announced on Friday that the United States has struck an Arctic security pact with Denmark and Greenland, moving to resolve a diplomatic dispute after threatening for much of his second term to annex the semi-autonomous territory by force.

Writing on Truth Social, Mr Trump described the deal as "very important, historic, and special". While the full scope of the agreement is not immediately clear, leaders in Copenhagen and Nuuk confirmed shortly after his announcement that the three governments intend to sign the pact on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City next week.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the agreement "strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic area" while explicitly recognising "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination". However, she stressed that the deal must still clear Danish parliamentary procedures before entering into force.

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Chairman of the Greenland Government, also welcomed the development, stating that it "is gratifying that we are about to enter into an agreement that ensures and strengthens the security" of Greenland, Denmark, and the US.

Mr Trump claimed the pact provides the US with "permanent control over security, and all other needs", adding that adversaries will be barred from maintaining a military presence or making "sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval". He stated that the arrangement "permanently and completely addresses our national security concerns in Greenland".

While the full text of the agreement has not yet been published, an unnamed US State Department official outlined key aspects to reporters. According to the official, the arrangement grants the US permanent basing, access, and overflight rights, alongside unilateral authority to construct military installations without requiring Danish or Greenlandic consent. The official added that the terms ban non-Nato states from building bases on the island, bar adversaries from making investments, and will remain binding even if Greenland achieves independence in the future.

The deal follows months of escalating rhetoric from Mr Trump, who had argued that Greenland's mineral resources and strategic Arctic position made it vulnerable to Russian and Chinese influence, prompting international concern over his warnings of unilateral military action.

The US has maintained military operations at north-western Greenland's Pituffik Space Base under a bilateral treaty dating back to 1951. I will be monitoring the formal signing in New York and the upcoming parliamentary scrutiny in Copenhagen as the precise legal terms are made public.