| |
Trump Signs Arctic Security Agreement 09/23 06:21
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an agreement
with Denmark and
https://apnews.com/article/greenland-flag-trump-denmark-us-ad5af83158e45a0625a8e
fc4e67fdb42 aimed at strengthening Arctic and North Atlantic security, paving
the way for more U.S. bases in Greenland and easing tensions over his repeated
calls for the vast island to become part of the United States.
The signing on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York comes
days after Trump
https://apnews.com/article/trump-greenland-military-denmark-4cf77cb4608b685a7041
0bd679479193 to bolster the U.S. military presence on Greenland but keep it
under Danish control. The agreement would still apply if Greenland eventually
chooses independence.
"This is tremendous for Europe and for the United States and for everybody,"
Trump said just before the agreement was signed. "And for Greenland, it's going
to be incredible."
Trump has expressed his desire to acquire Greenland since
https://apnews.com/article/trump-greenland-denmark-timeline-b32ca9f63dd31333c1d6
e64fb3d6403e and, during his second term, issued threats to seize the
https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-greenland-denmark-trump-arctic-security-ru
ssia-china-6346aa8e86be594e467e8cc18f98357b from Denmark, a NATO ally. On
Tuesday, he did not respond to questions about whether a U.S. acquisition of
Greenland was off the table.
The US has had a presence in Greenland for decades
Officials from the U.S., Greenland and Denmark negotiated for months behind
the scenes, searching for solutions to address some of Trump's security
concerns about the mineral-rich island.
Trump's designs on Greenland strained relations within NATO, with Danish
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warning a U.S. takeover would amount to
https://apnews.com/article/denmark-greenland-trump-2b12bb104faaaafda2ed270febfb0
522.
The standoff unsettled many of Greenland's roughly 56,000 people and drove a
wedge between the U.S. and Denmark and its European Union partners, who stepped
up
https://apnews.com/video/french-military-jets-on-a-40-day-global-flight-to-proje
ct-power-and-strengthen-alliances-dd57c956cac64e47b920b6664ba4465d and
https://apnews.com/article/greenland-eu-europe-trump-denmark-532e9587dde667b6e87
8e799fcb43bde for the island.
Trade and
https://apnews.com/article/greenland-trump-climate-change-minerals-trade-bab5bb6
0ba52f6073f056fb271c43215 have factored into concerns about Greenland's future.
About two-thirds of its territory sits inside the Arctic Circle, where
https://apnews.com/article/merz-tusk-arctic-leyen-trump-russia-china-2c298545771
b20a9bc9a398bee282bb7 has opened additional shipping routes.
The United States was prominent in Greenland for decades but, since 1945,
the
https://apnews.com/article/greenland-denmark-trump-vance-meeting-6a9ab923e04411c
f518ec3e0f6a67e38 has decreased from thousands of soldiers on 17 bases and
installations to roughly 200 soldiers on the remote Pituffik Space Base in the
northwest. The base supports missile warning, missile defense and space
surveillance operations for the U.S. and NATO.
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly ahead of the signing, Trump
said the U.S. would "immediately begin the process of developing a large
military presence in the appropriate locations," including "building two very
major military bases."
Denmark's parliament approved a bill last year to
https://apnews.com/article/denmark-united-states-military-bases-greenland-749f68
105ff6452ebfeb7ab2cbc282b7, widening a 2023 agreement made with the Biden
administration that gave U.S. troops broad access to air bases in Denmark.
Trump
https://apnews.com/article/greenland-denmark-trump-vance-meeting-6a9ab923e04411c
f518ec3e0f6a67e38 the U.S. needed to "take Greenland," to prevent
https://apnews.com/article/greenland-denmark-security-trump-arctic-north-6066195
d0c6b9e1bbe6da27d55b26ece. Though Trump said he would rather "
https://apnews.com/article/nato-greenland-trump-russia-deterrence-threat-07d6c18
ed968c25736eca2c25d935edb " for the territory, he added, "one way or the other,
we're going to have Greenland."
The accord will remain in effect if Greenland becomes independent
The agreement, released by all three governments after the signing, allows
for Washington to "modernize and expand" its activities at Pituffik.
It also says the U.S. can set up "defense areas" at Narsarsuaq in the south
and Mestersvig in the east, and that it "may establish additional defense areas
in Greenland and strengthen its military operations or facilities." Washington
is to award contracts for goods and services related to setting up, maintaining
or dismantling such bases "to Greenlandic sources to the maximum extent
possible."
The accord calls for wide U.S. military mobility on Greenland's territory,
including "undersea access." It says the signatories share an interest in
allowing the U.S. military access to Greenland to defend the NATO area,
Greenland itself and the American continent -- including through
https://apnews.com/article/trump-golden-dome-israel-missile-defense-iron-da9f728
b6849ebba968b4b456adb26ce Trump's planned
https://apnews.com/article/golden-dome-missile-defense-trump-space-e74d637feac06
edcfde79214d8acf179. Frederiksen said no decision had been made on the
specifics of that system.
No non-NATO country will be allowed to set up "its own manned or unmanned
military installations in Greenland," or to have a "persistent" military
presence unless the signatories agree otherwise.
The accord "does not have an end date" and, if Greenland chooses to become
independent, it will agree to remain in NATO and take on Denmark's rights and
obligations under the deal.
All parties present the agreement as a positive move
Frederiksen on Tuesday called the agreement a "deal that can last forever,"
labeling it as good for the U.S., Greenland, Denmark and the broader NATO
alliance.
"Mr. President, you have been very clear: You don't want adversaries to come
too close," she said. "I fully agree."
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland's prime minister, called it "a win-win-win
agreement."
"Your security is our security," he said, "and our security is your
security."
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who helped turn down the temperature at
the height of the crisis in January, celebrated the accord's signing, writing
on X that "this agreement, along with NATO's growing role in securing this
vital region, enhances our collective security and supports a safer and more
stable future for us all."
But the standoff won't be forgotten quickly.
"A lot of trust has been tested, I would say," Naaja Nathanielsen, one of
Greenland's two lawmakers in the Danish parliament and a former government
minister in Nuuk, told The Associated Press. "It's been really difficult in
Greenland and people have been generally afraid and worried about everything,
from losing our country to our livelihoods and so on."
Nevertheless, Nathanielsen called the accord "a huge step in the right
direction," and praised it as the first binding agreement Greenland has signed
as a country.
"For us, that is a huge step forward in our quest for more self-autonomy and
a bigger seat at the table," she said.
A clearly relieved Frederiksen said at a post-signing appearance with
Nielsen that "the kingdom of Denmark is in a better place than we were
yesterday."
She concluded the news conference by saying: "I think we'll head out soon
and get a cold beer."
Also breathing a sigh of relief Tuesday were fellow NATO countries. Latvian
President Edgars Rinkevics said that while a lot remains to be seen, the
announcement was "very positive and good."
"But I do hope that this issue is closed because it was not entirely
comfortable that you have this discussion between really good friends and
allies," Rinkevics told a small group of reporters on the sidelines of the U.N.
General Assembly in New York.
|
|
