Donald Trump announces ‘historic’ Greenland deal as US seeks expanded military presence

US president Donald Trump steps out of his motorcade at the Ellipse before departing the White House on September 18, 2026 in Washington, DC. Picture: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    Donald Trump announced on Friday that the US had struck an Arctic security pact with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland, after threatening for much of his second term to annex the semi-autonomous Danish territory by force.

The full scope of the deal Trump described as “very important, historic, and special” was not immediately clear. But soon after his announcement in a post on Truth Social, the leaders of Denmark and Greenland issued statements indicating the deal would be signed by the three governments on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City next week.