Despite months of crisis, the mood at Tuesday’s signing ceremony appeared strikingly upbeat and friendly.
“We going to have a tremendous relationship, a secure relationship,” Trump said.
“This is tremendous for Europe and for the United States, for everybody, and for Greenland it’s going to be incredible.”
Meanwhile, Frederiksen described the signing of the deal as a “milestone in our long-standing co-operation”.
“Seventy-five years ago we entered into an agreement about the defence of Greenland. Today, we’re signing an even bigger and better agreement – a deal that can last forever.”
The Danish prime minister stressed that the agreement “respects sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark, as well as Greenland’s right to self-determination”.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen said that “for Greenland, it is not only an agreement about us, it is [an] agreement with us.
“It takes into account the people of Greenland, our rights, our livelihoods and the development of our country.
“Greenland matters for North American security and for transatlantic security,” he said, adding that the Nato had a key role to play in the North Atlantic in a changing security situation.
The agreement also confirmed Greenland would remain in Nato if it were to gain independence from Denmark.
The 1951 agreement already allowed the US to send as many troops as it wanted to Greenland. Washington already has more than 100 military personnel permanently stationed at its Pituffik base.
Trump had tried for months to purchase or annex Greenland, arguing that it was vulnerable to adversaries, including Russia and China.
He argued the Arctic island was an essential piece of his plan to build a futuristic “Golden Dome” defence system to protect the US against missile attacks.
However the deal only mentions the project once, and contains no concrete proposal.
A Nato spokesperson said shortly afterwards that the military alliance welcomed the deal, which would “help advance security, stability and cooperation in this vital region”.
In Denmark, the deal is being hailed as a triumph of diplomacy, and several political parties in Denmark have already said they would back it.
For Greenland, a country of 56,000 people, there was good reason for a big sigh of relief. Its leader sat side-by-side with the world’s most powerful man, and got a deal that should now bring an end to months of crisis.
