Greenland lawmakers vote 16-0 to accept new U.S. security pact

Greenlandic lawmakers voted 16 to 0 on Tuesday to approve a security agreement with the United States and Denmark. Seven members of the legislature abstained from the vote. The deal was signed in September during the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The agreement was reached after months of pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump had previously called for the semiautonomous territory to become part of the United States. The new pact aims to ease those tensions while strengthening security in the Arctic and North Atlantic regions.

Under the terms of the deal, the United States will expand its military presence in Greenland. The agreement keeps the self-governing island under Danish control. It remains valid even if Greenland eventually chooses independence.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen joined Trump in signing the document. The trilateral agreement paves the way for more U.S. bases on the island. It represents a formal shift in how the three parties handle Arctic defense.

Danish lawmakers are scheduled to debate the agreement later this month. The deal will enter into force once the necessary parliamentary processes in Denmark and Greenland are completed.