Trump Rules Out Force on Greenland, Drops Tariff Threat After NATO Talks

President Trump said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday that he would not use military force to acquire Greenland, and later announced he was dropping planned tariffs on European countries after reaching what he called a “framework” for a future deal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, according to CNBC and Al Jazeera.

“People thought I would use force. I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force,” Trump said, Al Jazeera reported. He also said he was “seeking immediate negotiations to once again discuss the acquisition of Greenland,” and that only the United States could “secure” the territory, according to Al Jazeera. CNBC reported that the call for immediate negotiations with Denmark reportedly unnerved some in the audience, and that the no-force remark appeared to be a shift from his earlier stance.

Over the preceding weekend, Trump had threatened tariffs on Denmark and several other European NATO countries, starting at 10 percent on Feb. 1 and rising to 25 percent in June, both outlets reported. After meeting Rutte, he wrote on Truth Social that the two had “formed the framework of a future deal” on Greenland and the wider Arctic, which he said would be good for the United States and all NATO nations “if consummated.” Asked about the tariffs, he told CNBC, “No, we took that off because it looks like we have, pretty much the concept of a deal.”

The post gave no details. In a CNBC interview with Joe Kernen, Trump called the arrangement a “concept of a deal” that is “a little bit complex, but we’ll explain it down the line,” and declined to say whether it would give the United States possession of the island. He suggested it involves the proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense system and mineral rights, CNBC reported; Al Jazeera quoted him saying it addresses “security and minerals and everything else.” CNBC reported that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff would lead the negotiations. CNBC also reported that the New York Times, citing three senior officials, said some NATO members discussed giving the United States sovereignty over small pockets of Greenland’s land; the White House said more details would come as discussions continue.

Rutte gave few specifics in a Fox News interview and, asked whether Denmark would keep sovereignty, said the “issue did not come up,” Al Jazeera reported. A NATO spokeswoman, Allison Hart, told Al Jazeera that Rutte “did not propose any compromise to sovereignty” and called the meeting productive.

Denmark welcomed the lowered temperature. Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen wrote on X that “The day is ending on a better note than it began,” CNBC reported, and Al Jazeera reported he called Danish sovereignty a “red line” and said, “It’s not going to happen that the United States will own Greenland.” Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof called the removal of the tariffs positive, and Sweden’s foreign minister said Sweden would not be “blackmailed,” Al Jazeera reported.

Not everyone was convinced. Ole Waever, a professor at the University of Copenhagen, told Al Jazeera he doubted the framework would amount to more than a face-saving “pretend” deal. U.S. stocks rose sharply after Trump’s post, after falling the previous day, CNBC reported.

Al Jazeera described the dispute as having brought transatlantic relations to their lowest point in decades.