Trump Says US Exploring Greenland Deal after Talks with NATO, Drops Tariff Threat

DAVOS, Switzerland — U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the United States is exploring a possible agreement involving Greenland following talks with NATO, backing away from earlier threats to impose tariffs on European allies who oppose U.S. ambitions over the Arctic island.

Trump, posting on social media, said discussions with NATO officials had been “very productive” and resulted in what he described as a framework for a future deal. He offered no details and stopped short of announcing any agreement that would meet his long-stated demand for U.S. ownership of Greenland.

“We have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO nations.”

Diplomatic sources told U.S. media there was no agreement granting Washington control or ownership of Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump reiterated his interest in acquiring Greenland but ruled out the use of military force. “I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force,” he said.

Following talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump told reporters a potential arrangement could involve access to mineral resources and closer security cooperation in the Arctic. Greenland is seen by Washington as strategically important due to its location and its largely untapped reserves of rare earth minerals used in advanced technologies.

“It’s the ultimate long-term deal,” Trump said. “It puts everybody in a really good position, especially as it pertains to security and to minerals.”

Rutte said the issue of Danish sovereignty over Greenland was not discussed during his meeting with Trump. “That issue did not come up anymore in my conversations tonight with the president,” he told Fox News.

Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said tensions had eased after the talks. “Now, let’s sit down and find out how we can address the American security concerns in the Arctic while respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark,” he said in a statement.

A NATO spokeswoman said negotiations among Denmark, Greenland and the United States would continue, with a focus on preventing Russia and China from gaining an economic or military foothold on the island.

However, Greenlandic lawmaker Aaja Chemnitz, one of two representatives from the territory in Denmark’s parliament, criticised any talks that exclude Greenland itself. “Nothing about us without us,” she said, questioning NATO’s role in discussions over Greenland’s resources.

U.S. media reported that one option under discussion could allow expanded American military facilities on the island, similar to arrangements governing British bases in Cyprus. Under existing agreements, the United States already maintains a permanent military presence at Greenland’s Pituffik base.

Trump had earlier threatened to impose tariffs of up to 25% on goods from several European countries, including Denmark, unless an agreement was reached on Greenland. He said those tariffs would now not go ahead following his meeting with Rutte.

“Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st,” Trump said.

In Davos, Trump also criticised European leaders who had opposed his tariff threats, including French President Emmanuel Macron, while taking aim at Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney over comments urging closer cooperation among middle powers.

Macron had earlier warned that an escalation of U.S. tariffs would be “fundamentally unacceptable” and urged the European Union to consider possible countermeasures.

Despite the sharp rhetoric, Trump said Washington was seeking negotiations rather than confrontation, describing Greenland as central to U.S. security interests in the Arctic for decades to come.

By Agencies