Greenland lawmakers voted Tuesday to approve a security agreement with Denmark and the United States following months of pressure by President Donald Trump, which will strengthen security in the Arctic and North Atlantic.

The new deal, which was agreed to in a 16-0 vote with seven abstentions, allows more U.S. bases in Greenland and helps ease tensions over Trump’s repeated calls for the island to become part of the U.S., according to the Associated Press. 

Trump initially sought to buy Greenland outright during both of his presidential terms. But Denmark and Greenland alike rejected that proposal. Instead, all parties agreed to expand American security control over Greenland and bar non-NATO bases from the island.

Trump signed the agreement with the prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland in September while in New York City to address the United Nations.

Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen praised lawmakers in a Facebook post after the vote, stating they stood united against the geopolitical tensions to show the world that the island decides its own fate.

“We must be able to cooperate with other countries,” he wrote, adding that the cooperation must respect “our people, our country and our rights ... Greenland is our country. Greenland will always be our country.”

Danish lawmakers must still debate and approve the security agreement later this month before it can go into effect.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.