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They have tried 'asking nicely' but Denmark had been playing the independence card, claiming any deal would have to involve Greenlandic consent.

Last year's US-Denmark military basing agreement excluded Greenland for this 'reason'.

But both sides knew this was a deflection as Denmark has military and foreign relations responsibility for its "non-colony".

The US got fed up, pushed harder and apparently got what they wanted.

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That part didn't change. The deal will only be in force once it has been formally ratified by the US, Denmark, and Greenland.

The constitutional status of Greenland's autonomy is somewhat unclear. If Danish parliament had the will, it's plausible that it could force a deal on Greenland by changing the relevant laws. But it's also likely that overcoming all the legal and constitutional obstacles would take years. Changing the constitution might actually be faster, but even that would involve general elections and a referendum.

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