Lithuanian leader hails Greenland deal as important step toward stronger Arctic security

VILNIUS – Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda has welcomed an agreement between the United States and Denmark on Greenland, hailing it as an important step toward strengthening security in the Arctic region.

“The expected agreement between Greenland, Denmark and the United States is an important step towards stronger security in the Arctic and the North Atlantic,” Nauseda said in an X post on Saturday.

He welcomed “the leadership” of US President Donald Trump as well as the prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland “in advancing this important agreement”.

“Stronger transatlantic cooperation in these strategically vital regions is essential for the security of Europe and the entire NATO Alliance,” the Lithuanian leader noted.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Robertas Kaunas said that the agreement shows that the tensions that arose earlier over Greenland should not be viewed as a NATO crisis.

“Critics were in a state of hysteria at the time. They were declaring NATO dead. Today, we can already assess the outcome. The United States, Denmark, and Greenland have reached an agreement that strengthens the US military role in Greenland but does not alter its sovereignty,” the minister said in a Facebook post on Saturday.

According to him, the agreement also prevents Russia and China from establishing military bases in Greenland and strengthens the role of the United States and NATO in the region.

“In January, I said that we shouldn’t rush to bury NATO or view every harsh statement as a split in the Alliance. Eight months later, we can compare that assessment with what has actually happened: Greenland remains Greenland, while the security role of the US and NATO in the Arctic is growing stronger,” the minister stressed.

US President Trump said Friday that he had struck a deal with Denmark to give Washington "permanent control" over Greenland's security that would bar Russia and China from setting up bases in the Arctic territory.

Denmark and Greenland -- an autonomous Danish territory -- both hailed the agreement and said they would sign it on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this week.

However, the terms of the agreement are still unclear, yet Denmark maintains that its sovereignty remains intact. 

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said the agreement with Washington "recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom and the Greenlandic people's right to self-determination".

It was "good for NATO and Europe", she added.

Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has repeatedly insisted that the United States needed to control Greenland for strategic reasons, alarming NATO ally Denmark and sparking fierce pushback from the Alliance.