Trump declares victory in Greenland, but the deal exposes a deeper crisis of trust

The agreement rewards months of coercion against an ally. It normalises a sphere-of-influence politics in which smaller states remain legally sovereign but face pressure to accept strategic subordination

US president Donald Trump: Washington has shown it can threaten an ally, extract negotiations for expanded privileges, describe the result as permanent control, and then claim credit for restoring stability. Picture: AP/Alex Brandon

US president Donald Trump is already presenting the new security agreement between the United States, Denmark and Greenland as a personal triumph.

By his telling, Washington has secured permanent control over Greenland’s security and the power to prevent adversaries from establishing military bases or making sensitive investments there.