Donald Trump has announced a “framework of a future deal” on Greenland after talks with Nato chief Mark Rutte, and withdrawn the threat of tariffs against eight European countries. The US president characterised the agreement as “pretty much a concept of a deal” involving Arctic security, but Danish politicians and Greenlanders reacted with profound scepticism.
Speaking in Davos, Trump said the deal followed discussions with Rutte, whom he assumed had consulted Denmark. “We’re going to work together on something having to do with the Arctic as a whole but also Greenland,” he told CNBC, while declining to specify whether it involved mineral rights or ownership.
Nato chief Mark Rutte cautioned that “a lot of work to be done” remained, and a Nato spokesperson said talks would focus on Arctic security “through the collective efforts of allies”. Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen welcomed the reprieve, saying “the day ended better than it started”, but MP Sascha Faxe dismissed the negotiations as “not real” and “two men who have had a conversation”.
Financial markets rebounded and European leaders, including Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, welcomed the move. However, Greenlanders reacted with disbelief, and analysts noted that the territorial status of the Arctic island remained unresolved. Trump is also expected to announce a “board of peace” at the World Economic Forum.
