The US president and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte agreed Wednesday on what is being called a new framework for the defense of Greenland.
But the question is whether the United States will now have greater power over Greenland than it already has under the old defense agreement from the 1950s.
In characteristic style, Trump sounded triumphant even before the negotiations had begun.
"We get everything we want, free of charge," he told Fox News.
“Important part”
The interviewer then asks whether the "Golden Dome" missile defense system should be placed in Greenland.
"Part of it, yes, and it's a very important part," Trump replies.
He then adds that the United States should have “total access” to the island.
Earlier, after the meeting with Rutte, the US president seemed satisfied with the framework discussed.
"It puts everyone in a pretty good position, especially when it comes to security, minerals and everything else," he said.
Arctic allies
German FAZ writes that a new agreement would be similar to what Britain has for Cyprus.
But according to the defense agreement signed with Denmark after World War II, the United States already has extensive powers in Greenland.
According to NATO, the new framework focuses on ensuring that member countries - and in particular the seven so-called Arctic allies, including Sweden - are responsible for the security of the Arctic.
Negotiations between Denmark, Greenland and the United States will focus on an assurance that Russia and China will never gain an economic or military foothold in Greenland, said defense alliance spokesperson Allison Hart, according to several news agencies.
At the same time, it emerged that the talks would include Donald Trump's plans to build the "Golden Dome" - similar to Israel's much-talked-about "Iron Dome" - which will primarily protect the United States against air attacks.
Focus on the Arctic
At the same time, Rutte says that Greenland's status as part of Denmark was not even mentioned during the negotiation meeting with Trump.
That question no longer came up in my conversations with the president, the NATO chief said in an interview with American Fox News afterwards.
The comments come after weeks of aggressive threats from Donald Trump about the importance of the US somehow taking over Greenland. However, in a speech in Davos on Wednesday, the president said he would not use military force to get his way.
He is very focused on what we have to do to ensure that the huge Arctic region - where changes are happening right now, where the Chinese and the Russians are more and more active - how we can protect it, says Rutte.
After World War II, Denmark felt it lacked the resources to defend militarily the then colony of Greenland. Therefore, in 1951, an agreement was concluded between Denmark and the United States, which gave the United States the right to assist Denmark by “establishing and/or managing ... defense areas” in Greenland.
The governments of both countries must agree on which areas are involved, according to the agreement, which gives the United States very far-reaching legal and practical rights in such zones.
The agreement has already been updated several times, including by adding the self-governing Greenland as a party. It also states that the cooperation takes place within the framework of NATO and “shall apply as long as the (NATO founding treaty) North Atlantic Treaty is in force.”
