Key points

  • The United States and Denmark have agreed a deal on Greenland's security, ending months of threats by President Donald Trump to take the territory by force. The text is unpublished, and the parties expect to sign it at the UN General Assembly next week.
  • Trump says it gives the U.S. "permanent control over security, and all other needs" at "no cost to the United States." Denmark and Greenland say it recognises the Kingdom's sovereignty and Greenlanders' right to self-determination.
  • Greenland-linked stocks moved on the news. Critical Metals Corp (CRML), owner of the Tanbreez rare earth project in southern Greenland, rose about 20% in after-hours trading on Friday after closing down 2.0% at $6.73.

The announcement on September 18th, 2026 resolves a dispute that had strained relations across NATO. Trump had spent months trying to buy or annex the mineral-rich, semi-autonomous Danish territory, arguing it was vulnerable to Russia and China. The BBC reported that neither the White House nor the Danish embassy in Washington had released the agreement's wording.

What the deal says

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the agreement lets the U.S. "do what is necessary" to "secure and defend the security of Greenland." He said it bars any U.S. adversary from keeping a military presence on the island or making "sensitive investments in Greenland, without our express written approval." Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it a "historic deal."

An unnamed State Department official told the BBC the deal grants "permanent access, basing and overflights rights," lets the U.S. build military structures without approval from Copenhagen or Nuuk, and bans non-NATO countries from building bases on the island. It would not expire even if Greenland became independent. It is unclear how far it goes beyond the 1951 defence agreement that already lets the U.S. station troops on the island.

How Denmark and Greenland responded

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she was "pleased that there is a prospect of a good agreement" for all three parties. In a joint statement with Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, she said it "strengthens our common security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic area" while recognising "the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom."

Nielsen called the deal "gratifying" for the security of Greenland, Denmark, the United States and the Western alliance. Trump has said Greenland is essential to his Golden Dome missile defence plan, and that European allies could take part in it.

The stocks that moved

The market read the deal through Greenland's minerals. The island holds vast and largely untapped reserves of rare earths. Critical Metals Corp, the Nasdaq-listed owner of Tanbreez, fell 2.0% on Friday to close at $6.73 and then rose about 20% in after-hours trading, still far below its 52-week high of $32.15. MP Materials (MP) and USA Rare Earth (USAR) rose 1.7% and 1.8% after hours, while Golden Dome contractors Lockheed Martin (LMT), RTX (RTX) and Northrop Grumman (NOC) all closed lower on Friday.

Form 4 filings reviewed by InsiderBuying.com show no open-market insider buying at Critical Metals this year. Its only two filings are director Mykhailo Zhernov's sales of 50,000 shares at about $8.05 on March 23rd and 24th, 2026. The one open-market purchase in the group is MP Materials chief operating officer Michael Rosenthal's 10,000 shares at $54.30, or $543,000, on June 9th, 2026. Full records are on the Critical Metals, MP Materials and USA Rare Earth pages, and Insider Access members track real-time insider activity across the stocks tied to Greenland.

Informational only, not investment advice.