Greenland’s government and residents have welcomed a new military pact with the United States and Denmark, saying it could ease anxiety caused by President Donald Trump’s earlier threats to seize the Arctic island. The agreement permits a larger US military presence while stopping short of Trump’s previous demand that Washington annex Greenland. Many Greenlanders remain skeptical of the United States, however, and want protections for local communities and traditional livelihoods, Defense News reported.

The agreement allows the United States to reopen Cold War-era military bases in Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig. A renewed US presence could bring spending and employment opportunities to those settlements and expand the American footprint beyond Pituffik Space Base, the country’s only remaining facility on the island. The pact also states that military activity should respect Greenlandic society and traditional ways of life.

For Greenlandic officials and supporters of the deal, the pact offers a measure of stability after months of political tension. Naaja Nathanielsen, a Greenlandic member of Denmark’s parliament, called the outcome sensible and said she was relieved. She noted that Greenland had hosted a substantial American military presence in the past, but said recent unrest had left people more doubtful of Washington. Reassuring the population, she added, would take further work.

Public reactions included visible signs of support. Parliament speaker Kim Kielsen urged households to raise the Greenlandic flag on Wednesday. Activist and influencer Orla Joelsen encouraged residents of Nuuk to gather at the airport to welcome Greenland’s prime minister and foreign minister after their return from New York, where they had struck the deal.

The pact would revive part of a long US military history in Greenland. The United States built bases there during World War II and operated 17 installations with more than 10,000 personnel during the Cold War while monitoring Soviet forces. Today, Pituffik Space Base remains the sole US facility, with about 150 American military personnel.

That history shapes both the appeal and the unease surrounding the proposed reopenings. Pitanguaq Mikissen, a 69-year-old retired ship assistant, said returning US facilities could provide greater security for Greenland’s population of about 57,000. The proposal also arrives as Denmark has strengthened its own military role in Greenland, adding troops, increasing Arctic defense spending and hosting allies in military exercises after Trump’s threats intensified in January.

Other residents see the expanded presence as another source of tension. Jensia Dam-Davidsen, a 40-year-old voice and choir teacher, said Trump had created considerable fear and worry. She criticized the agreement in light of Denmark’s military expansion, calling it wrong “in every way.”

Concerns are particularly strong in southern Greenland’s Kujalleq municipality, where the United States is seeking to reopen the Narsarsuaq base. Mayor Malene Vahl Rasmussen said the arrangement should safeguard hunting and fishing, which support local communities. Some Greenlanders worry that additional aircraft and vessel traffic could disturb the grounds used for those activities.

Rasmussen also cautioned that the signing itself would not restore confidence in Washington. Trust, she said, has to be rebuilt through the partnership. That process will depend in part on how the proposed expansion affects daily life, including access to hunting and fishing areas, and on whether the agreement’s language about respecting Greenlandic society is reflected in military activity.

The pact therefore combines a security benefit for some Greenlanders with continuing concern about sovereignty, local control and the consequences of a larger foreign military presence. Its significance will be judged not only by the reopening of Cold War-era facilities, but also by how the United States and Denmark address the demands of communities living near them.