Donald Trump has ruled out using military force to annex Greenland, but reiterated his ambition to acquire the Arctic island during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The US president also announced that he and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had agreed on the framework of a “future deal” regarding Greenland and the broader Arctic region.
Denmark’s foreign minister welcomed Trump’s statement that he would not use force, calling it “positive” but noting that the challenge remains. “What is clear after this speech is that the president’s ambition [to own Greenland] remains intact,” the minister said. Trump claimed that acquiring Greenland would strengthen NATO and that the proposed solution would be “a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations.”
In a significant move, Trump said he would not impose the 10% tariffs threatened on eight European countries, including the UK, based on the understanding reached with Rutte. However, the European Parliament suspended work on the EU-US trade deal in protest against Trump’s threats, with trade committee chair Bernd Lange stating that no compromise is possible until the threats over Greenland are resolved.
During his speech, Trump appeared to confuse Greenland with Iceland on several occasions, at one point saying, “They’re not there for us on Iceland… our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland.” The White House denied any mix-up, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt insisting Trump did not confuse the two countries.
Trump also repeated his criticism of NATO, claiming the alliance treats the US unfairly and that it is time for NATO to “step up.” He questioned whether NATO would defend the US, referencing the 9/11 attacks. Additionally, a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to take place soon, with Trump saying the US is “reasonably close to a deal on Ukraine.”
