Múte B. Egede says the expected agreement recognizes Greenland’s position and right to self-determination
Múte B. EgedeNaalakkersuisoq (minister) for Foreign Affairs, Business and Mineral Resources in the Government of Greenland and leader of Inuit Ataqatigiit, posting on his own Facebook page, whose bio says it is not run in his ministerial capacity
In a Facebook post published in Greenlandic, Danish and English on 18 September 2026, Múte B. Egede, Greenland’s minister for foreign affairs, said an agreement between Greenland, Denmark and the United States was “within reach” and described it as recognizing Greenland’s position and the right to self-determination, strengthening cooperation among the three countries and good for all parties. The quotation is the post’s own English text.
“We have now reached a point where an agreement between Greenland, Denmark and the United States is within reach. An agreement that recognizes Greenland’s position and the right to self-determination. Strengthens cooperation between our three countries. A solution that is good for all parties – and that strengthens the security of the United States, Greenland and the entire Western alliance.”
Original post
Interview
Reporting
Reporting
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
Original post
About this source
Egede’s own Facebook post in three blocks separated by “//”: Greenlandic, Danish, English. The quotation is the post’s own English block, copied exactly (curly apostrophe and en dash as posted); we did not translate it. Danish block: “Vi er nu nået dertil, hvor en aftale mellem Grønland, Danmark og USA er inden for rækkevidde. En aftale, der anerkender Grønlands position og selvbestemmelses ret. Styrker samarbejdet mellem vores tre lande. En løsning, der er god for alle parter – og som styrker sikkerheden for USA, Grønland og hele den vestlige alliance.” On September 19, 2026 the post carried no “Edited” marker. Posted Friday 18 September 2026, 5:25 PM EDT (21:25 UTC). The page bio says he leads Inuit Ataqatigiit and that the profile is “not run as a minister” (“Profilen føres ikke som minister”). Ritzau and TV 2 quote the Danish block without “og selvbestemmelses ret”; the post itself contains it.
Interview
About this source
KNR article on Egede’s interview on KNR TV on the evening of 18 September, published 23:12 Nuuk time (00:12 UTC; 8:12 PM EDT). KNR prints his answers as quotations, so the wording rests on KNR’s printed transcription. Translation of the excerpt (ours): “There are some processes, when different governments cooperate and agreements are signed, which are set in motion, among other places, in the respective parliaments.” KNR’s own sentence, not Egede’s words: “Múte B. Egede vil ikke kommentere på selve aftalens indhold. Han kommenterer heller ikke direkte på den amerikanske forsvarsministers udmelding.” (He will not comment on the content of the agreement itself, nor directly on the U.S. defense secretary’s announcement.)
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Greenlandic outlet’s report reproducing the Danish block of Egede’s Facebook post in full, so the Danish paragraph can be checked without Facebook; it introduces him as “Naalakkersuisoq for udenrigsanliggender, Múte B. Egede (IA)” and reports that Trump announced the agreement on Truth Social on Friday evening and that Naalakkersuisut expected signature at the UN General Assembly the following week. Published Saturday 19 September 2026 at 02:27 Nuuk time (03:27 UTC; 11:27 PM EDT Friday). Sermitsiaq.AG does not carry the English block.
Reporting
About this source
Reuters wire report syndicated by Yahoo News Singapore, published 2026-09-19 11:46 UTC. Cited only for the statement that key details of the agreement had not been made public. It also gives an English rendering of Nielsen’s Facebook line (“The agreement recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our Kingdom and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination”) and says he posted “on Saturday”; the post is dated Friday 18 September (Eastern) on Facebook. The headline is the reporters’ framing.
Before the quotation
On the evening of 18 September 2026 President Trump announced on Truth Social that the United States had entered an agreement with Denmark and Greenland. Egede posted on Facebook on the evening of 18 September, according to KNR.
After the quotation
Later that evening Egede told KNR TV that after signature the agreement goes through processes in the respective parliaments, and KNR reported that he would not comment on the content of the agreement itself or directly on the U.S. defense secretary’s announcement. The three governments said they expected to sign at the UN General Assembly the following week, and as of 19 September the agreement text had not been published, according to Reuters.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Egede’s post welcomes an agreement he says is only “within reach” and describes it as recognizing Greenland’s position and the right to self-determination and as good for all parties, without repeating, endorsing or disputing the permanent-control wording; in a KNR interview the same evening he added that after signature the agreement goes through processes in the respective parliaments. The closest competing label is “Defended or excused”. That loses because Egede supports an agreement described in his own terms (Greenland’s position, self-determination) that still has signature and parliamentary steps ahead, not the deal as Trump describes it, which makes the position “Mixed or conditional”; “Challenged the characterization” also loses because nothing in his words disputes Trump’s wording.
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The Dispute Index. "Múte B. Egede says the expected agreement recognizes Greenland’s position and right to self-determination". First published: 2026-09-19. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1197-in-a-facebook-post-published-in-greenlandic-danish