After a meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte on Wednesday evening, US President Donald Trump announced that they had reached a framework for a future agreement on Greenland and the entire Arctic region - and that he is therefore withdrawing the new tariffs that he had threatened European countries with.
The White House has not provided any details about the content, but stated that it is not set in stone. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says that Donald Trump is hopeful that the agreement will go through, and that if so, it would fulfill “all the strategic goals” that the United States has for Greenland “at very little cost, forever,” reports the Wall Street Journal.
According to the American news site Axios, which spoke to two sources with insight into Rutte's proposal, it is not about the US taking over or buying Greenland from Denmark. The site's sources say it is rather about updating a 1951 defense agreement between Denmark and the US regarding Greenland.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says in a statement that it is also her opinion that an American takeover is not part of what has been discussed.
The New York Times also reports that the US would have the right to build military bases in the areas. The German Frankfurter Allgemeine writes that such an agreement would be similar to what Britain has for Cyprus.
Other things that were discussed include increased European responsibility for security in Greenland and more NATO activity in the Arctic region.
According to NATO, the framework focuses on the member states - and in particular the seven so-called Arctic allies, including Sweden - being responsible for the security of the Arctic.
Sources including the WSJ state there is also discussion that the US should be given a kind of veto over investments in Greenland's mineral resources. The idea is to exclude Russia and China from the natural resources.
According to reports, the negotiations will also touch on Donald Trump's plans to build a "golden dome" - similar to Israel's famous "iron dome" - as a defense against air attacks.
Donald Trump writes on Truth Social that US Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are the ones who will negotiate a final agreement for the US.
