The United States has been holding regular negotiations with Denmark to expand its military presence in Greenland, according to multiple officials familiar with the discussions, with talks between both sides progressing in recent months.
US officials are seeking to open three new bases in the south of the territory, a semi-autonomous part of Denmark, as they work to resolve a diplomatic crisis sparked by President Donald Trump when he threatened to seize Greenland by force earlier this year. The White House confirmed the administration was engaged in high-level talks with Greenland and Denmark but declined to comment on details.
The negotiations have been confined to a small working group of officials in Washington led by Michael Needham, a senior State Department official tasked with crafting a deal that satisfies Trump while respecting Denmark's red lines around protecting its borders. The teams have met at least five times since mid-January, according to several sources.
Denmark's foreign ministry confirmed talks with the US were taking place. "There is an ongoing diplomatic track with the United States. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not go into further detail at this time," a spokesperson said.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive lawmakers and analysts have questioned the approach taken by the Trump administration in pursuing expanded military access to Greenland, arguing that threatening a NATO ally was unnecessary to achieve security objectives.
"Why threaten an ally with a military operation or invasion when what you want is something that could be negotiated quite easily?" said one former senior US defense official quoted by the BBC, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Democratic critics have noted that Trump's January rhetoric, in which he said the US should "own" Greenland and suggested using force to take it, created diplomatic strain within the NATO alliance unnecessarily. Some argue the administration could have pursued quieter negotiations from the start rather than making public threats that alarmed Danish officials and the international community.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, speaking at a democracy summit in Copenhagen, emphasized his territory's sovereignty despite the ongoing talks. "We are not to be taken. We are not for sale," he said Tuesday, adding that discussions had improved since the countries moved away from negotiating through media statements.
What the Right Is Saying
Conservative supporters of expanded US presence in Greenland argue that the strategic location is critical to countering Russian and Chinese activity in the Arctic and North Atlantic.
"Wherever the US and our allies leave a vacuum, that vacuum is often filled by China and Russia," retired General Glen VanHerck, former head of Northern Command and NORAD from 2020 to 2024, told the BBC. "The GIUK Gap remains one of the most strategically important maritime corridors in the northern Atlantic."
Republican officials have defended Trump's engagement with Greenland as a necessary response to evolving security threats in the Arctic region. The proposed bases would focus on surveillance of potential Russian and Chinese maritime activity in the area between Greenland, Iceland and the United Kingdom.
A White House official told the BBC the administration was "very optimistic" the talks were headed in the right direction. Despite Trump's public threats, officials say both countries have been actively working toward a deal that would expand US military infrastructure on the island.
What the Numbers Show
The US currently operates one military base in Greenland—Pituffik Space Base in the northwestern part of the territory—which monitors missiles for NORAD but is not configured to conduct maritime surveillance. This represents a significant reduction from Cold War-era presence, when the US maintained approximately 17 military facilities on the island.
Under the framework of an existing 1951 security agreement between the US and Denmark, American officials have broad authority to request expanded military operations in Greenland. However, any expansion requires Danish government approval—and historical records show Denmark has never rejected a US request to expand its presence there.
One proposed base location is Narsarsuaq in southern Greenland, which sits on the site of a former US military installation that included a small airport during earlier American operations. Additional bases would likely be placed at sites with existing infrastructure such as airfields or ports to minimize construction costs.
General Gregory Guillot, head of US Northern Command, provided broad context for the negotiations during congressional testimony in March, confirming the US was seeking new base access.
The Bottom Line
The talks represent a significant diplomatic effort to move past the crisis created by Trump's January threats while advancing American security interests in the Arctic. The negotiations are being conducted through official State Department channels rather than through Trump's special envoy to Greenland, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, who sources say has not participated in any of the actual discussions.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Nielsen indicated this week that negotiations had improved but maintained his position on sovereignty. He said he could not confirm whether he would meet with Landry during a business summit in the territory next week.
The outcome of these talks will test whether the US can expand its military footprint in Greenland through diplomatic means while maintaining strong relations with Denmark and respecting Greenlandic autonomy. Watch for further developments as negotiations continue between officials from both countries under the framework of their 1951 security agreement.