According to several officials close to the matter, the United States has been conducting steady negotiations with Denmark to bolster its military footprint in Greenland, with both parties making notable headway in recent months.

American officials are pushing to establish three new bases in the southern region of the territory - a semi-autonomous Danish possession - as part of resolving a diplomatic fallout triggered by President Donald Trump's earlier threats to annex Greenland forcibly.

In January, Trump declared that the US should "own" Greenland to block Russia or China from claiming it, suggesting this could occur the "easy way" or the "hard way".

The White House has acknowledged high-level discussions with Greenland and Denmark but offered no specifics on the talks.

One White House official informed the BBC that the administration feels very positive about the negotiations' trajectory.

Denmark has shown openness to hosting more US military installations on the island, and its foreign ministry verified ongoing talks with the US. "There is an ongoing diplomatic track with the United States. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not go into further detail at this time," a spokesperson stated.

One source familiar with the discussions revealed that US officials have proposed designating the three new bases as formal US sovereign territory.

These bases, planned for southern Greenland, would mainly monitor potential Russian and Chinese naval movements through the GIUK Gap - the strategic northern Atlantic corridor linking Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom - according to officials who spoke with the BBC.

No formal agreements have been reached yet, and the exact number of bases may shift, sources noted. One likely site is Narsarsuaq, reusing a former US base that includes a small airport.

Additional bases would probably utilize existing Greenland infrastructure like airfields or ports, enabling cost-effective upgrades rather than new construction, according to analysts.

During negotiations, US officials have avoided any suggestions of seizing Greenland, a move publicly dismissed by Denmark and NATO, of which it is a member.

Despite Trump's provocative statements, the nations have pursued a deal actively in recent months.

The discreet talks involve a compact Washington-based team that has advanced quietly amid the administration's focus on the Iran conflict.

In March congressional testimony, General Gregory Guillot of US Northern Command hinted at plans for new bases. Sources provided further insights into frequent high-level sessions yielding progress.

Michael Needham, a top State Department official, leads this sensitive diplomacy, aiming to align with Trump's goals while honoring Denmark's sovereignty boundaries.

"Needham is running point" on Greenland, a senior diplomat noted, invoking a military term for his central role.

Behind the scenes, the approach has been "very professional," the person added.

The groups have convened at least five times since mid-January, with Needham joined by one or two colleagues from the State Department or National Security Council, multiple sources confirmed. Danish counterparts include Jeppe Tranholm, permanent state secretary for foreign affairs; Jesper Møller Sørensen, ambassador to the US; and Jacob Isbosethsen, Greenland's senior diplomat in Washington.

At a Copenhagen democracy summit on Tuesday, Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen stated that US negotiations had "taken some steps in the right direction."

He described the talks as "ongoing" without elaborating.

Trump's special envoy to Greenland, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, has not joined the negotiations and remains sidelined, three sources reported.

"He was supposed to be more of like a rah-rah cheerleader of the idea that we could just flex our muscles and take over Greenland as a security asset," said a Landry confidant anonymously. Landry "has never been to any of the actual talks."

Landry's office did not comment.

The US maintains one base in Greenland today, Pituffik Space Base in the northwest, reduced from about 17 Cold War-era sites. It tracks NORAD missiles but lacks maritime surveillance capabilities.

Current and former officials plus Arctic experts told the BBC that the US could have pursued Greenland interests without such aggressive rhetoric toward a NATO ally.

"Why threaten an ally with a military operation or invasion when what you want is something that could be negotiated quite easily?" questioned a former senior US defense official.

Others commended the US-Denmark collaboration.

"Wherever the US and our allies leave a vacuum, that vacuum is often filled by China and Russia," retired General Glen VanHerck, former Northern Command and NORAD leader from 2020 to 2024, told the BBC.

Negotiators are framing a compromise within a longstanding US-Denmark security pact.

The 1951 agreement allows broad US military growth in Greenland, requiring Danish approval - which has always been granted historically, per Arctic experts.

Greenland representatives in Washington and the US State Department declined comment.

Trump eyed greater US access to Greenland in his first term, but this year's push ignited a NATO rift.

In Copenhagen remarks Tuesday, Nielsen said discussions are "in a better place than when we had our conversations through the media."

On meeting Landry at next week's Greenland summit, Nielsen was noncommittal.

"We can have robust discussions and we can meet, but it will be with respect, as we have been saying from the beginning. We are not to be taken. We are not for sale, and that will be the narrative of the meeting."

Additional reporting by Adrienne Murray in Copenhagen