The Business Times
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Donald Trump drops demands to own Greenland, but the harm has been done

A revised defence pact is a modest improvement, but annexation threats were a costly blunder

Summarise
Published Sun, Sep 20, 2026 · 03:42 PM
    • Houses in Nuuk, Greenland. The Greenland scare leaves European governments determined to be less dependent on a fickle America.
    • Houses in Nuuk, Greenland. The Greenland scare leaves European governments determined to be less dependent on a fickle America. PHOTO: REUTERS

    THE Arctic is now a safer place for America and its allies. Due credit must go to President Donald Trump, a self-styled man of peace. He has, after all, lifted the shadow of imminent invasion from Greenland, the vast and hard-to-defend island that guards Nato’s high north.

    In the longer term, a new defence agreement announced by the Trump administration, Denmark and Greenland on Sep 18, 2026 represents a modest advance on previous treaties.

    It will make it easier for America to strengthen its military presence on the island, and to control encroachment on Greenlandic soil by China, Russia and other adversaries.

    Donald TrumpTrump administrationDenmarkGreenlandUS-Europe relationsGeopolitics

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