US President Donald Trump has escalated his demand to annex Greenland but ruled out using military force, during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Addressing business and political leaders, Trump insisted the United States needs ownership of the territory to defend what he called an 'unsecured island'. He said he was 'seeking immediate negotiations' to acquire Greenland, adding: 'I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force. All the US is asking for is a place called Greenland.'
Trump’s remarks drew a cautious response from Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who noted it was 'positive' that Trump had ruled out invasion but said the challenge remained. Norway’s finance minister and former Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, called Trump’s statement an 'important message', as many had feared he might threaten force.
Later, 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, scheduled for 1 February. 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. Trump claimed the deal would be 'fantastic for the USA' and include a US missile defence shield partly based in Greenland, but provided no further details.
Rutte declined to comment on the preliminary deal, and it remains unclear whether Greenlandic or Danish leaders were involved. Rasmussen expressed hope for talks with Trump’s team, stressing the need to respect the Greenlandic people. In his Davos speech, Trump criticised Denmark’s wartime record, saying the US had to intervene after Denmark was overrun by Germany, and argued only the US could defend Greenland.
