US President Donald Trump has escalated his demand to annex Greenland, telling business and political leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos that the United States needs ownership of the territory for defence purposes. In a speech marked by invective against European leaders, Trump ruled out using military force but warned that Denmark, the Nato member to which Greenland belongs, would face consequences if it refused to negotiate.
“I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force. All the US is asking for is a place called Greenland,” Trump said. “You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no and we will remember.” The remarks drew a cool response from Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who said it was “positive” that Trump had ruled out an invasion but noted that the president’s ambitions for the territory remained “intact”.
Later on Wednesday, Trump announced a U-turn on plans to impose tariffs on eight European countries, including Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland. He said progress in talks with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte had led to a “framework of a future deal” on Greenland and the Arctic region. The tariffs, scheduled for 1 February, were postponed as negotiations continue.
Trump claimed the deal would be “fantastic for the USA” and would include a US missile defence shield partly based in Greenland. However, it is unclear whether Greenlandic or Danish leaders were involved in the plan. Rasmussen said he hoped the talks would “respect the Greenlandic people”.
During his speech, Trump also attacked European allies, saying it was “stupid” for the US to cede Greenland after the Second World War and that “without us, now you’d all be speaking German, or a little Japanese perhaps”. He insisted only the US could defend the “unsecured island”, citing its strategic position between the US, Russia and China.
