US in talks with Denmark for new Greenland military bases

The United States has been holding discussions with Denmark regarding the establishment of new military facilities in Greenland, with negotiations progressing in recent months, the BBC reported Tuesday citing anonymous sources. US officials are considering opening three new bases in southern Greenland — a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark — as part of efforts to ease tensions sparked by President Donald Trump’s earlier threat to seize the island by force.

Monitoring Russian and Chinese activity

Trump said in January that the US should “own” Greenland to prevent Russia or China from gaining influence there, warning this could happen “the easy way or the hard way.” According to the BBC, US officials have proposed that the three new bases would be designated as sovereign US territory, primarily focused on monitoring possible Russian and Chinese maritime activity in the region. No final agreement has been reached, and the number of bases could still change. The White House confirmed high-level talks are ongoing but declined to provide details, expressing optimism that negotiations are moving in the right direction.

Denmark’s position and NATO context

Denmark has previously signalled willingness to discuss additional American military bases in Greenland. A spokesperson for Denmark’s Foreign Ministry confirmed an “ongoing diplomatic track” with Washington but declined to elaborate. Officials have not suggested seizing Greenland itself during the talks — an idea publicly rejected by both Denmark and NATO. For Türkiye, a NATO ally, the potential expansion of US military infrastructure in the Arctic is a matter of alliance-wide strategic interest. Ankara supports strengthening NATO’s northern flank while respecting the sovereignty of member states and their territories.