President Donald Trump says the United States will have everything we want to secure sovereignty over the land in Greenland where American bases are located, enabling Washington to assume ownership of those areas as part of an expanding push on Denmark over control of the strategically vital Arctic territory.
In an Oval Office interview, Trump confirmed that negotiations are advancing over a deal that would shift control of specific base areas into American hands. According to Newsmax, the former president told The New York Post on Friday, Yeah Well have everything we want. We have some interesting talks going on.
For months, Trump has pressed Denmark to cede far greater control over Greenland, insisting that nothing short of ownership would be acceptable to protect U.S. interests. His campaign for a stronger American foothold on the island overshadowed much of his visit to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week, underscoring how central the Arctic has become to U.S. strategic planning.
Trumps latest remarks came after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, where he disclosed that negotiators had reached a framework for a deal involving the semi-autonomous island, which remains under Danish sovereignty. A source familiar with the discussions told The Post that the emerging proposal is modeled on the sovereign base area arrangement in Cyprus, under which Britains military installations are treated as British territory.
Under that concept, the United States would not purchase or annex the entire island but would instead gain sovereignty over the specific tracts of land where its military facilities are situated. According to details provided to The Post, this would effectively carve out American-controlled enclaves on Greenlandic soil, giving Washington long-term security over its Arctic infrastructure without requiring full territorial acquisition.
American defense officials have long warned that U.S. access to Greenland could be restricted or even terminated if the island were to move toward full independence from Denmark. The region is considered critical to U.S. national security, particularly as great-power competition intensifies in the Arctic and rival nations, including China and Russia, seek influence over shipping lanes, mineral resources, and strategic basing.
The proposed framework reflects a broader conservative argument that the United States must act decisively to secure its national interests rather than rely on shifting political winds in foreign capitals. By locking in sovereign control over key bases, Washington would be better positioned to deter adversaries and protect freedom of navigation and commerce in the High North, consistent with a strong-defense, America-first posture.
Still, it remains uncertain whether Greenlands leadership will accept any arrangement that transfers sovereignty over parts of its territory to the United States. Greenlands premier, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, made his opposition clear on Thursday, declaring that he rejects any move that would grant the United States sovereign authority over American military bases on the island.
Sovereignty is a red line, Nielsen said, signaling that local authorities view territorial control as non-negotiable even in the face of mounting geopolitical pressure. His stance highlights the tension between Greenlands aspirations for greater autonomy and the strategic imperatives of the United States and its NATO allies in an increasingly contested Arctic.
For Trump and many conservatives, however, the stakes go far beyond local politics, touching on questions of national strength, deterrence, and the need to counter authoritarian rivals in a region rich in resources and military value.
As debates continue over how far Denmark and Greenland are willing to go, the emerging sovereign base area model suggests Washington is seeking a pragmatic path that secures American control where it matters most, even if full ownership of the island remains out of reach for now.
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