Frederiksen says expected Greenland deal preserves sovereignty
Mette FrederiksenPrime Minister of Denmark, in a press release of the Danish Prime Minister's Office issued jointly with the Government of Greenland
In a press release issued jointly with Greenland's government, Mette Frederiksen said the expected security deal recognized sovereignty and self-determination. Read the official English text.
“I am glad that we are about to make a great agreement for Greenland, the Kingdom of Denmark, and the United States. An agreement which strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic Area and therefore is great for NATO and Europe as well. And an agreement which at the same time recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people’s right to self-determination.”
Official statement
Official statement
Reporting
Reporting
Other statements by Mette Frederiksen in this case
- Frederiksen says the agreement respects Danish sovereignty and Greenlandic self-determinationLater: Challenged the characterization
Where this statement fits
Trump’s “permanent control” description of the announced U.S.-Denmark-Greenland security agreement
On September 18, 2026, President Donald Trump announced an agreement with Denmark and Greenland that he said gives the United States “permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland.” Danish and Greenlandic officials initially described an expected agreement and emphasized sovereignty and self-determination. On September 22, the White House published an agreement text dated that day. It reaffirms Denmark’s sovereignty and Greenland’s right to self-determination; provides for U.S. defense areas and access under stated procedures; bars non-NATO states from establishing military installations unless the parties agree otherwise; and has no end date. The text says it enters into force only after diplomatic notice of necessary parliamentary procedures. The dispute remains over how Trump’s “permanent control” description compares with the document’s terms.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Official English version of the joint press release, hosted by the Danish Prime Minister's Office; the page shows the date 9/18/2026 but no time of day. The quotation is a contiguous substring of the English text. Danish original of the same passage (stm.dk, dated 18.09.2026): 'Jeg er glad for, at der er udsigt til en god aftale for Grønland, Kongeriget Danmark og USA. En aftale, der styrker vores fælles sikkerhed i Arktis og det nordatlantiske område og dermed også er god for NATO og Europa. Og en aftale, der samtidig anerkender Kongerigets suverænitet og territoriale integritet og det grønlandske folks ret til selvbestemmelse.' The Danish opening means 'I am glad that there is the prospect of a good agreement', whereas the official English says 'we are about to make a great agreement'; the quotation follows the official English version. BBC, CBS and ABC print their own English translations of the Danish. The release's lead says the three governments are expected to sign the agreement at the UN General Assembly next week and that it then enters into force subject to the necessary national parliamentary procedures; that lead is not Frederiksen's own quoted wording.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Official statement
About this source
Danish original of the same release (dated 18.09.2026). It is the original-language text behind the official English version; the Danish wording of the full passage is given in the note on the English source. The English of the record is the government's own English version, not an independent translation. KNR, Sermitsiaq and DR quote the same Danish wording.
Reporting
About this source
Published 2026-09-18 22:09 UTC and last modified 2026-09-19 11:36 UTC (7:36 AM EDT). The on-page headline is the one given here; the page title tag and original headline read 'US and Denmark reach deal over Greenland's security after Trump threats'. BBC calls the document a 'joint statement' with Greenland's premier Jens-Frederik Nielsen (formal title: Chairman of Naalakkersuisut) and quotes its own translation of the Danish ('pleased that there is a prospect of a good agreement'). Used for the joint nature of the statement and for the report that no text has been released.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Danish-language article from Greenland's public broadcaster, updated as events developed; the page is dated 18 September 2026 20:29 Greenland time (21:29 UTC). It first reports Trump's Truth Social post, then that the Prime Minister's Office had just confirmed the agreement, quotes Frederiksen 'in a joint press release with the chairman of Naalakkersuisut' (our translation), and reports that KNR asked Nielsen, who had no comments and referred to the press release. The page does not give the release's own time of day.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Earlier on September 18, 2026, Trump had announced the agreement on Truth Social, saying it gives the United States permanent control over security, and all other needs, in Greenland. The joint release followed that announcement.
After the quotation
The release ends 'There are no further comments at this time.', and KNR reported that Nielsen, asked for comment, had none and referred to the release. As of Saturday, September 19, the BBC reported that no text of the agreement had been released; the release itself says signing is expected at the UN General Assembly next week.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Frederiksen welcomes the expected agreement as great for the three parties, NATO and Europe while stating that it at the same time recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people's right to self-determination, and the joint release she is quoted in makes entry into force subject to national parliamentary procedures; she neither mentions nor disputes Trump's description. The closest competing label is “Defended or excused”, because she calls the agreement great. That loses because she does not affirm the description Trump gives of it, and her welcome is paired with the sovereignty and self-determination clause and the release's parliamentary condition, so it is not a clean endorsement of the deal as Trump and Rubio describe it.
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Rubio says Trump is fully apprised of the Greenland deal when asked whether he misunderstood it
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Scott Horton says Trump announces at rallies an intention to violate the Greenland agreement
“Trump talks about how he "got Greenland" at every rally now, and people in Greenland, Denmark and around the world take note of how he signed agreements and then announced in campaign rallies his intention to violate them. This is not a joke.”Read statement
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- Frederiksen says expected Greenland deal preserves sovereignty
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The Dispute Index. "Frederiksen says expected Greenland deal preserves sovereignty". First published: 2026-09-19. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/1195-in-a-press-release-issued-jointly-with-greenland