U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a “framework for a future deal” regarding the Danish territory of Greenland, which he says gives his country “total access”.
The development comes after Trump held talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland.
Details of the deal have not been revealed, but U.S. media reports it involves re-negotiating a 1950s military agreement.
Greenland
Greenland is an island of 56,000 people, located between Europe and North America. It has untapped mineral and oil deposits.
Greenland is a territory of Denmark. Its head of state is Danish King Frederik X. It is mainly ‘self-governing,’ creating its own laws for major issues.
The U.S. has had a military base in Greenland since the 1950s.
Trump has previously said the U.S. needs control of Greenland “for national security purposes”.
Last month, Trump appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry as U.S. Special Envoy to Greenland.
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Landry said Trump had tasked him with talking to the territory “about the opportunity of being a part of the U.S.”
Trump’s comments on Greenland have drawn widespread opposition from European countries, and from Greenlanders.
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In a post to social media on Wednesday (local time), Trump said he had reached “the framework of a future deal” with Rutte in a “very productive meeting” on the sidelines of the WEF.
The following day, Trump said the deal gives the U.S. “total access” to Greenland, adding that it would mean “all the military access that we want”.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said this week he doesn’t know what the deal includes, and that the territory’s right to self-governance is “a red line”.
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told his country’s public broadcaster: “What is crucial for us is that we get to end this with respect for the integrity and sovereignty of [Denmark] and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination”.
In light of the deal, Trump dropped 10% tariffs on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland, which were due to come into effect on 1 February.
