Report: Trump Secures Deal Granting US Sovereign Control Over Military Bases, Possibly Rights to Mine Rare Metals

The United States is set to assume control over American military bases in Greenland and possibly other areas under a proposed agreement reached in Davos, according to the British Telegraph.

According to a draft framework seen by The Telegraph, the arrangement mirrors Britain’s long-standing agreement with Cyprus, under which US military installations in Greenland would be treated as American territory in the Arctic.

The framework was agreed on Wednesday evening between President Donald Trump and NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte, and is intended to calm Danish concerns that Washington was preparing to annex the semi-autonomous island outright.

While Trump declined to spell out the details of the agreement in a series of interviews, he acknowledged that questions of ownership were a “little complex.”

Under the proposed framework, the US would be authorised to conduct military operations, intelligence activity and training on Greenlandic soil, while also enabling limited local development – including potential rare earth mineral mining – without needing approval from Denmark.

Confirming the outline of the plan, a diplomatic source told The Telegraph: “The idea was to give Trump a deal.”

The Cyprus-style model is being viewed as a creative compromise to satisfy Trump’s long-standing push for ownership of Greenland, which he regards as strategically vital to America’s defense posture.

Britain’s agreement with Cyprus grants the UK sovereignty over two military bases for strategic use, while allowing Cypriots living within those zones rights broadly equivalent to those elsewhere in the republic.

The United States already has permission to build and operate military bases in Greenland and enjoys unrestricted “freedom of operation” between designated defense areas by air, land and sea.

In theory, the new framework would go further, allowing Washington to exert control over specific parts of the island and potentially expand into mineral-rich regions that have attracted Mr Trump’s interest.

The arrangement would also eliminate the need for US authorities to seek local permits, including planning permission.

It would additionally simplify the deployment of assets linked to America’s proposed Golden Dome defence system.

Sources told The Telegraph that during discussions with Trump, NATO negotiators criticised French president Emmanuel Macron and his use of “bazooka” rhetoric; referencing a measures to block US companies from Europe’s internal market.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump said: “It’s a deal that people jumped at, really fantastic for the USA, gets everything we wanted, including especially real national security and international security.”

Nato’s senior military leadership arrived in Davos this week seeking to ease political tensions between Europe and Washington over the issue.

On Wednesday, Gen Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe, briefed allied counterparts on threat assessments relating to Greenland and the broader Arctic region.

At a separate meeting in Brussels, he told fellow generals there had been no major escalation in the threat posed by Russia and China in the High North.

However, Gen Grynkewich did flag shortcomings in ballistic missile surveillance and detection as a significant concern.

A NATO spokesman said: “The secretary-general had a very productive meeting with President Trump during which they discussed the critical significance of security in the Arctic region to all allies, including the United States.

“Discussions among Nato allies on the framework the president referenced will focus on ensuring Arctic security through the collective efforts of allies, especially the seven Arctic allies. Negotiations between Denmark, Greenland, and the United States will go forward aimed at ensuring that Russia and China never gain a foothold – economically or militarily – in Greenland.”