DOMINANT ANGLE
Helsinki views the Greenlandic agreement first and foremost as a piece of the emerging Arctic competition, with its bases, minerals, and maritime routes, rather than as a settlement of the island's status.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
MP Jarno Limnell (kok) believes the agreement does not resolve the entire Greenland issue and that what matters to Washington is military access, not territorial ownership (Ilta-Sanomat).
- 02
Trump claims on Truth Social that no "enemy" of the United States will be able to establish a military presence or invest in Greenland without written American authorization (Helsingin Sanomat).
- 03
According to Reuters, as cited by Helsingin Sanomat, Washington and Copenhagen are also discussing the deployment of the Golden Dome antimissile system in Greenland and measures to limit Chinese influence.
ANALYSIS
Helsinki, September 19, 2026. On Friday, September 18, in the evening, American time, Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that an agreement had been reached with Denmark and Greenland on the security of the island. In Finland, a country bordering Russia and a recent member of NATO, the dominant reading is not that of the Greenlandic territorial status but that of the Arctic power mechanism that the agreement installs.
Conservative MP (kok) Jarno Limnell, quoted by Ilta-Sanomat, warns that the text "does not settle the entire Greenlandic question". What matters to Washington, he writes, is not the ownership of the island but "military access and freedom of action" that it provides: defense of North America, surveillance of the Arctic, control of the strategic links of the North Atlantic. According to him, the next step concerns the entire Arctic region, where competition for military presence, minerals, maritime routes, and critical infrastructure is intensifying: "the rivalry of the great powers in the North is strengthening", he summarizes on X.
Helsingin Sanomat reports on Trump's announcement, which promises Washington "permanent control" and an immediate strengthening of the US military presence. The newspaper quotes the president: "From now on, no enemy of the United States will ever be able to establish itself in Greenland, maintain a military presence or make sensitive investments without our written authorization." According to Reuters, relayed by HS, Washington and Copenhagen have also discussed the installation of the "Golden Dome" antimissile system on the island, as well as measures to limit Chinese presence and influence. The signing is expected to take place in New York during the UN General Assembly, before ratification by the Danish and Greenlandic parliaments.
YLE Uutiset relays the enthusiasm of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who praises "the vision and leadership" of Trump: the agreement "permanently guarantees the security interests of the United States in the Arctic without cost to the American taxpayer", and makes Greenland "forever" part of the North American strategic defense zone, from which "all adversaries will be excluded".
