The US is in talks to open three more military bases in Greenland
Over the past few months, the US has been holding regular talks with Denmark regarding the expansion of the American military presence in Greenland. This has been reported by several sources familiar with the negotiations, according to the BBC.
According to them, the US side is seeking to open three new military bases in the south of the island. The talks are taking place against a backdrop of diplomatic tension that arose following US President Donald Trump’s statements about his intention to establish control over Greenland.
In January, Trump stated that the US should ‘own’ Greenland to prevent Russia or China from increasing their influence. At the time, he said this could happen ‘the easy way’ or ‘the hard way’.
The White House has confirmed that high-level talks are taking place with Denmark and Greenland, but has not disclosed any details. A representative of the administration told the BBC that Washington is “very optimistic” about the progress of the talks.
The Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs also confirmed that diplomatic dialogue with the US is taking place. However, they declined to comment on the substance of the talks.
During the Democracy Summit in Copenhagen, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated that the talks had “taken a few steps in the right direction”. He added that discussions were ongoing but did not provide any details.
According to sources, US officials proposed an option whereby the new bases would formally be granted the status of sovereign US territory.
It is envisaged that the new facilities will be located in southern Greenland and will focus on monitoring Russian and Chinese maritime activity in the North Atlantic in the GIUK Gap region between Greenland, Iceland and the UK.
One of the bases could be located in Narsarsuaq on the site of a former US military facility with a small airport. Other potential locations may also be near existing infrastructure, such as airfields or ports.
Sources stress that the parties have not yet reached a final agreement, and the number of bases may change.
US officials did not raise the issue of a military takeover of Greenland during the talks. Denmark and NATO have previously publicly ruled out such a possibility.
The talks are being led by a small group of officials in Washington. According to BBC sources, the process is being coordinated by Michael Needham, a senior official at the US State Department. Representing Denmark at the meetings are Jesper Møller Sørensen, Denmark’s ambassador to the US, and Jakob Isboset, Greenland’s chief diplomat in Washington.
According to sources, the parties have held at least five meetings since mid-January.
The US currently has one military base in Greenland. During the Cold War, the American military presence on the island comprised around 17 facilities. The Pituffik Space Base in north-western Greenland is used for missile monitoring as part of NORAD.
The talks are taking place within the framework of the 1951 security agreement between the US and Denmark, which allows Washington to expand its military activities in Greenland in agreement with Copenhagen.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen also stated that the current dialogue with the US is “in a better state than when discussions were taking place via the media”.
“We can have tough discussions and meet, but this must be done with respect. We cannot be taken away. We are not for sale,” said the Prime Minister of Greenland.
