US, Denmark, Greenland sign Arctic security agreement at UN General Assembly

The US, Denmark and Greenland signed an agreement Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic.

US President Donald Trump described the agreement at the signing ceremony as "tremendous for Europe and for the United States and for everybody and for Greenland."

He said the deal had been "long in the making," and predicted a "long-term, fantastic relationship" between the sides.

Addressing the UN General Assembly before the signing, Trump said the agreement gives the US "permanent control over security and all other needs" of the territory. "We will have the complete ability to do what is necessary to defend the American continent and also Europe and other places.”

He said no US adversary would be permitted to establish a military presence in Greenland or make sensitive investments there without Washington's “express written approval.”

Trump also announced plans to expand the US military presence in Greenland.

"We will immediately begin the process of developing a large military presence in the appropriate locations. We'll be building two very major military bases," he said.

Expanding the US footprint in the Arctic and North Atlantic would protect the US and Europe, and "very much enhances NATO," according to the president.

Before the signing, Trump said he looked forward to working with the people of Denmark and Greenland, saying the sides had "really formed a bond" during the process.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen held a news conference after the ceremony, according to public broadcaster DR.

The agreement allows Washington to establish a so-called Golden Dome missile defense system in Greenland, but it remains unclear whether it would involve the deployment of US missiles on the island.

"There has been no decision on the content of what Golden Dome will look like, so it is too early to say anything about it," said Frederiksen.

She was asked whether the agreement would put an end to Trump's repeated calls for American ownership or control of Greenland.

"We stand by the agreement we have made. It clearly states that the parties reaffirm the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark and recognize that the Greenlandic people constitute a people under international law with the right to self-determination," said Frederiksen.

She added that Denmark could not guarantee what other parties might say in the future.

Nielsen said Greenland maintained "red lines" throughout the negotiations, and that it wanted to rebuild "mutual trust" with the US.