President Donald Trump declared Friday that the United States had secured “permanent control” over Greenland’s security — but Denmark and Greenland offered a sharply different account.
An official statement from Denmark and Greenland said they merely “expect” to sign an agreement with the U.S. next week that would strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic. Even after it is signed, the agreement must undergo “the necessary parliamentary procedures” before taking effect, the two foreign governments said.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the proposed pact “recognizes Greenland's interests and our place in international cooperation.”
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen emphasized that it also recognizes “the Kingdom's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination” — an important distinction missing from Trump’s announcement.
The starkly different descriptions drew mockery from journalists online.
“Greenland and Denmark: We ‘expect to be able to sign an agreement in the coming week,’” journalist Sam Stein wrote on X. “Trump: We have an ‘infinite life’ agreement giving ‘the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland.’”
Canadian journalist Annie Dufour called it “a tale of two ‘deals.’”
“Trump, as he did with Canada, jumped the gun and called the deal...a done deal,” she posted. “Unless Denmark and Greenland are hiding what is in the fine print, these look like two different deals.”
Online influencer Mario Nawfal noted that it was now a matter of wait-and-see.
“He described the maximum version,” Nawfal told his social media followers Friday. “They described a security pact that does not transfer the island. Next week the signed paper will show which description is right.”
