President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reached a verbal understanding about Greenland throughout their assembly on Wednesday, however no document has been produced but memorializing a future deal, folks accustomed to their dialogue instructed NCS.
Trump and Rutte agreed to additional discussions about updating a 1951 settlement between the US, Denmark and Greenland that governs the US navy’s presence on the island, the sources mentioned. The deal framework additionally ensures that Russia and China will probably be barred from any investments in Greenland and lays out an enhanced position for NATO in Greenland, they mentioned.
Two of the sources mentioned one other component of a doable deal is elevated US entry to Greenland’s pure assets, together with its mineral reserves. But Rutte on Thursday denied that he had mentioned this challenge with Trump immediately.
The White House mentioned beforehand that particulars of the plan could be launched as they’re finalized, and a spokeswoman repeated that Thursday.
“If this deal goes through, and President Trump is very hopeful it will, the United States will be achieving all of its strategic goals with respect to Greenland, at very little cost, forever. President Trump is proving once again he’s the Dealmaker in Chief. As details are finalized by all parties involved, they will be released accordingly,” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly.
NCS has reached out to Rutte’s workplace for remark.
One particular person accustomed to the discussions mentioned Rutte didn’t need any formal paperwork ready throughout his assembly with Trump as a result of he was involved they may leak — or be posted by Trump himself on social media. Trump earlier this week posted a non-public message Rutte despatched to him forward of their talks.
But the lack of any written documentation has precipitated some confusion amongst NATO allies about what was truly agreed upon. A document detailing the particular phrases of a brand new deal is anticipated to be hammered out at the subsequent assembly of the US-Denmark-Greenland working group, which was established final week after Danish and Greenlandic officers met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, two of the sources mentioned. That assembly may occur as quickly as subsequent week in Washington, DC, one in all the sources mentioned.
NATO officers had additionally beforehand floated the concept that Denmark may permit the US to construct extra navy bases in Greenland that might be constructed on land thought-about sovereign US territory, a NATO official instructed NCS. But Danish officers mentioned there have been no direct discussions between Denmark and the US about the risk of granting the US sovereign parcels of land, and a NATO spokesperson mentioned Rutte didn’t talk about it with Trump on Wednesday.
“NATO is fully aware of the Kingdom of Denmark’s position,” Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen mentioned in an announcement on Thursday. “We can negotiate on everything political; security, investments, economy. But we cannot negotiate on our sovereignty. I have been informed that this has not been the case.”