Greenland would have to give the US control of some of its land as part of a framework deal announced by President Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, according to sources and reports.
US military bases in Greenland — a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark — would be considered sovereign US territories under the terms of the proposed deal, The Telegraph reported.
The deal would allow the US to perform military operations, gather intelligence and train soldiers without obtaining permission from the Danes — and potentially allow the US to expand into and develop land in mineral-rich parts of the Arctic island.
A European official told The Post that Rutte proposed Denmark transferring to the US sovereignty over Pituffik Space Base in northern Greenland.
The strategically important installation has been under US control since a 1951 defense agreement with Denmark, but the land legally belongs to the Danes.
Denmark would also give the US sovereignty over “small pockets” of land for the construction of new US military bases, according to the New York Times.
The compromise, if finalized, would fall short of Trump’s original goal of “Complete and Total Control” of Greenland, which the president argued was necessary for US national security.
The expansion of US territory, however, would mark the first time that’s happened since World War II, when the Northern Mariana Islands were taken from Japan.
The proposed deal mirrors a 1960 pact between the United Kingdom and Cyprus, which grants the UK sovereignty over two military bases on the Mediterranean island.
“There’s a lot of work to be done. We’ll do it step by step, but of course, working fast, but also with thoughtful diplomacy,” Rutte said of the next steps, during an interview with Fox News “Special Report” host Bret Baier.
“We will get this done,” the NATO secretary general vowed.
