The United States and Denmark are set to renegotiate a Defense Agreement they signed in 1951 and updated in 2004 regarding Greenland.
The security of the Arctic is to be strengthened, and European states will contribute to this, sources close to the negotiations told AFP on Thursday, following talks on Wednesday in Davos between U.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
The idea of establishing American bases in Greenland - under U.S. sovereignty - was not discussed in these negotiations, according to the sources cited.
Since 1951, a Defense Agreement - updated in 2004 - has given the U.S. military almost free rein to operate on Greenland's territory, but it is required to notify the authorities in advance.
The United States has only one base in Greenland, at Pittufik - the former Thule Air Base - in the north of this huge Arctic island, but had about ten bases on the island during the Cold War.
The base in Pittufik plays an important role in the U.S. missile defense system.
Several NATO member states are discussing means to strengthen their presence in Greenland and have sent an initial contingent to verify the conditions for this consolidation on the ground.
Germany, France, Norway, and the United Kingdom have deployed military personnel to Greenland to prepare for a potential NATO Mission - following the model of the one launched in the Baltic Sea or on the eastern flank of NATO - to counter the threat from Russia.
After weeks of aggressive statements, Donald Trump abruptly announced on Wednesday evening in Davos a "framework for a future agreement" regarding Greenland, the contours of which are still very vague.
The American president declined to specify whether a compromise in the negotiations would grant the United States possession of the autonomous Danish territory, as he has repeatedly demanded, aiming, in his view, to ensure security against Russia and China.
Mark Rutte reassured Fox News that the subject of the sovereignty of this autonomous Danish territory was not addressed in his discussions with Donald Trump.