Trump’s Greenland deal mimics British bases in holiday hotspot | US | News
In a stunning development, the United States is preparing to control parts of Greenland by designating them as sovereign base areas under the terms of a deal agreed in Davos. According to The Telegraph, the draft framework, which imitates the agreement made by the UK with Cyprus, envisages the acceptance of American bases in the Arctic region as US territory.
framework agreed upon between Donald Trump and NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte on Wednesday evening to ease Danish fears that the United States is preparing to annex the semi-autonomous region. Mr. Trump declined to disclose the terms of the deal in a series of interviews but acknowledged that the ownership issue was “a little complicated.”
Under the proposed agreement, the United States would be allowed to conduct military operations, intelligence and training while also facilitating some domestic development, including mining of rare earth minerals, without permission from Denmark. A diplomatic source told The Telegraph: “The aim was to get Trump a deal.”
Cyprus-UK style plan seen as creative solution to Trump’s demands
The Cyprus-UK style plan is seen as a creative solution to Mr Trump’s demands for ownership of the island, which he sees as strategically important for America’s defence. The terms of Britain’s agreement with Cyprus give Britain sovereignty over two military bases for strategic purposes while allowing Cypriots similar rights elsewhere in the Republic.
The US is already allowed to build and operate military bases in Greenland
The United States is currently allowed to establish and operate military bases in Greenland, with unrestricted “freedom of operations” across designated defense areas including air, land and sea.
In theory, the proposed new framework would allow the United States to control parts of Greenland and potentially expand into the mineral-rich regions that Mr. Trump covets.
The proposal would also make it easier for the United States to locate potential Golden Dome assets there. Sources have told The Telegraph that NATO negotiators in their meeting with Mr Trump criticized French president Emmanuel Macron and his “bazooka” language in a bid to curry favor with the mercurial president.
Trump calls deal ‘great’ for US
Mr Macron has been among the fiercest critics of Mr Trump’s threats to take over Greenland and has advocated the use of the EU’s “bazooka” to prevent US companies from leaving the continent’s internal market.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the President said:
“This is a deal that people are skipping over, it’s a really great deal for the United States; it gets everything we want, especially real national security and international security.”
