Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and Denmark’s Ambassador to the U.S. Jesper Møller Sørensen signed an “economic partnership agreement” on Feb. 3 as tensions between the United States and the Denmark territory of Greenland continue.
“Massachusetts and Denmark have long enjoyed strong economic ties – especially when it comes to our leadership in cutting edge industries like life sciences and technology,” said Healey in a statement. “It was great to welcome Ambassador Møller Sørensen and his delegation to the State House today to commit to strengthening this partnership and express our support for the Danish people.”
The agreement formalizes a commitment to work together to advance research and business cooperation in various science and technological areas, according to the press releasee.
But it comes as the relationship between the two officials’ countries are strained.
What is happening with Trump and Greenland?
After months of escalating tensions as President Donald Trump pushed to acquire Greenland, which is a self-governing territory of Denmark, things cooled off when Trump in January said he had agreed on a “framework of a future deal” with NATO for Greenland.
But potential conflict remains: few details about the agreement, which appears to have been made without Denmark’s involvement, have been publicly released. And on Feb 3., a senior Russian official said Moscow is ready to respond with military measures if the United States follows through on its plan to deploy its Golden Dome missile defense program to Greenland.
A general view of Nuuk, Greenland, on Jan. 25, 2026. REUTERS/Marko Djurica
The agreement between Massachusetts and Denmark did not mention the geopolitical tensions.
What is Massachusetts’s deal with Denmark?
According to the governor’s office, Massachusetts trades nearly $240 million with Denmark, primarily exporting medical devices, organic chemicals and industrial machinery.
The agreement focuses on the countries’ leadership in life sciences, health care, biomanufacturing, advanced manufacturing, robotics and artificial intelligence.
“Denmark and Massachusetts share a deep commitment to innovation and solutions that improve lives,” said Sørensen in a statement. “By bringing together Denmark’s decades of expertise in life sciences and public-private partnership and Massachusetts’ world-leading innovation ecosystem, today’s agreement translates our shared ambition into a partnership that will benefit both Denmark and Massachusetts.”
Massachusetts is not the only state to make an agreement with Denmark: in 2025, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, also met with Sørensen and other Denmark officials to sign a Memorandum of Understanding, as did Oklahoma’s Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt in 2024.
Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Massachusetts makes deal with Denmark amid Trump Greenland tensions