President Donald Trump and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte reached a verbal understanding on Greenland, but no written agreement has been produced, sources told CNN. The talks aim to revisit a 1951 U.S.-Denmark-Greenland military accord and would bar Russian and Chinese investments while expanding NATO’s role. Some sources say greater U.S. access to Greenland’s mineral reserves is under discussion, though Rutte denies raising that point. A formal text is expected to be drafted by a U.S.-Denmark-Greenland working group, possibly meeting in Washington next week.
Trump and Dutch PM Rutte Reach Verbal Understanding on Greenland — No Written Deal Yet, Sources Say
A statue of Hans Egede, a Dano-Norwegian Lutheran missionary, is pictured on the top of a hill covered by snow at sunset light in Nuuk, Greenland, on Wednesday. - Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty Images
People familiar with the discussions told CNN that President Donald Trump and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte reached a verbal understanding about Greenland during their Wednesday meeting, but no written document has been produced to memorialize a future deal.
The leaders agreed to continue talks about updating a 1951 agreement among the United States, Denmark and Greenland that governs the U.S. military presence on the island, the sources said. According to those people, the framework being discussed would also bar Russia and China from investments in Greenland and would define an expanded role for NATO on the island.
Two sources added that another element under consideration is greater U.S. access to Greenland’s natural resources, including mineral reserves. Rutte, however, denied on Thursday that he had raised that subject directly with Trump.
The White House previously said that details of the plan would be released as they are finalized, and a White House spokeswoman reiterated that position on Thursday. "If this deal goes through, and President Trump is very hopeful it will, the United States will be achieving all of its strategic goals with respect to Greenland, at very little cost, forever," White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said. "President Trump is proving once again he’s the Dealmaker in Chief. As details are finalized by all parties involved, they will be released accordingly."
CNN reached out to Rutte’s office for comment.
One person familiar with the talks said Rutte declined to have formal documents prepared during his meeting with Trump because he feared they might leak — or be posted by Trump on social media. Earlier this week, Trump posted a private message that Rutte had sent ahead of their meeting.
But the absence of any written record has created confusion among NATO allies about what was actually agreed. A document spelling out specific terms of a new arrangement is expected to be worked out at the next meeting of the U.S.-Denmark-Greenland working group, which sources said was formed last week after Danish and Greenlandic officials met with U.S. senators Marco Rubio and J.D. Vance. One source said that working-group meeting could take place as soon as next week in Washington, D.C.
NATO officials had previously suggested that Denmark might permit the United States to construct more military bases in Greenland on land considered sovereign U.S. territory, a NATO official told CNN. Danish officials countered that there have been no direct talks between Denmark and the U.S. about granting sovereign parcels of land, and a NATO spokesperson said Rutte did not raise that topic with Trump on Wednesday.
Denmark's position: Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Thursday, "NATO is fully aware of the Kingdom of Denmark’s position. We can negotiate on everything political: security, investments, economy. But we cannot negotiate on our sovereignty. I have been informed that this has not been the case."
The situation underscores lingering uncertainty among allies about next steps. Officials say a formal text, if produced, will be negotiated through the working group and broader diplomatic channels before any agreement is finalized.
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