The new agreement gives the US the ability to maintain and potentially expand its military presence in Greenland, including in the event that Greenland were to become independent from Denmark, as it specifically provides for Greenland to remain within NATO if independence were achieved. In that sense, it works both ways, and I believe this could potentially be the next step.
At this point, all the US would need to do is persuade the approximately 56,000 Greenlanders to support independence from Denmark, potentially through economic incentives or other forms of influence. The agreement effectively ties an independent Greenland to NATO and, consequently, preserves a significant level of US influence and military presence there.
The new agreement also permits the US to establish two additional military bases in Greenland, while not setting a specific maximum number of personnel that could be stationed there. In theory, this could allow for a very substantial American presence, potentially tens of thousands of personnel. Over time, a significant proportion of Greenland's population could even consist of US citizens.
Trump has therefore negotiated what could be a significant strategic opportunity for the US. Greenlanders could potentially benefit economically from a much larger American presence, which could also reduce their economic dependence on Denmark.
If Greenland eventually votes for independence, agreements previously negotiated between the US and Denmark concerning mining or other matters could potentially be renegotiated with the new independent Greenlandic government. This new agreement, which still needs to be ratified, could therefore represent a major opening for greater US involvement in Greenland, in my opinion.
Ultimately, one of the most important aspects of successful negotiation is convincing the other side that they will benefit from the deal.
