The Arctic and Greenland

After a year of US pressure on Denmark, including threats over Greenland, the United States, Denmark and Greenland signed a security agreement in September that allows an expanded US military presence on the island (Reuters). Greenland's parliament approved it on 3 November 2026 by 16 votes to none with seven abstentions, and Danish lawmakers take it up later this month, with a vote expected on 19 November (AP; Eye on the Arctic, citing Ritzau). Trump said in October that oil, gas and mineral exploration would begin in Greenland; Denmark said any exploration must follow Greenland's rules.

The midterms have limited bearing on the Arctic because the agreement is an executive arrangement and base construction is funded through defense appropriations that have bipartisan support. A Democratic Congress is unlikely to block Arctic military construction and may welcome a negotiated framework after the confrontation earlier in the year. It will scrutinize any resource concessions tied to Trump associates.

The decisions that matter sit in Copenhagen and Nuuk, and in Washington's appetite for renewed pressure. A president looking for foreign wins may push for faster resource access, and the Danish vote is the next test. The link to critical minerals, Canada and NATO is treated in the cross-cutting section.