The president of the United States, , showed himself yesterday ready to withdraw its latest tariff threat against their partners? Europeans, which he had launched to secure American sovereignty over Greenland. The change, announced at the Davos Forum, was based on, as the NATO Secretary General called it, the future of the Arctic island.
He gave few details and left the explanations to the Dutch, also the responsibility of speaking with the Kingdom of Denmark, on which this autonomous territory depends, but in an article published in Truth Social, Trump declared tonight that he and Rutte had “formulated the framework of a future agreement regarding Greenland and, in fact, to the entire Arctic region. This solution, if realized, will be very beneficial for the United States and for all “.
The announcement followed a meeting of the Atlantic Alliance held on Wednesday, in which senior military commanders from member states, up to 32, discussed an agreement by which Denmark would grant the US sovereignty over small areas of Greenlandic territory where the United States could build military basesaccording to three senior officials familiar with the conversation with the newspaper .
These officials, who spoke to the media on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive diplomatic matter, stated that Rutte had been considering this idea and, in the end, it came to fruition. Two of the officials who attended the meeting compared the model with the considered fully British territory.
When reporters asked Trump if Greenland would be part of the US in a final agreement, Trump evaded the issue, saying: “It’s the final long-term agreement. It is an infinite agreement. It’s a forever agreementSurprisingly, Rutte claimed in an interview that the question of who would control Greenland “was not raised” at the meeting.
When asked for its opinion on the agreement and its content by the New York newspaper, NATO declared that “negotiations between Denmark, Greenland and the United States will continue with the objective of ensure that Russia and China never gain a footholdneither economically nor militarily, in Greenland.” Nothing more.
The island has already hosted a US military base since the 1950s for precisely that reason and It had 17 facilities on the islandwhich closed after the Cold War. A bilateral treaty of 1951 allows for a greater US presence in the area if requestedsomething that has not been done, because it is not what Trump is looking for, he wants business. The framework now agreed, if what was said by the Timesmeans delving into those agreements, which both Kuuk and Copenhagen had shown themselves willing years ago, without the need for this scandal.
Denmark has repeatedly indicated that the US can increase the number of troops in Greenland if you wish, without refining the solutions regarding the ownership of the bases, and which can even become a preferred business partner in the natural resources that Trump seems to like so much, by the way. Greenland has also announced that it is open for business if American companies are interested, but so far none of these arguments resonated with the tenant of the White House. It remains to be seen what is captured in the end, black on white.
Respected sovereignty
For its part, the North American digital adds this morning that the framework agreed on both sides of the Atlantic “includes the principle of respecting Denmark’s sovereignty over the island”according to two sources informed about the proposal. This is important because Trump has stated on numerous occasions, including yesterday morning, that he would only accept a deal that would put Greenland under Washington’s control. And Rutte’s proposed deal, which Trump says “gives us everything we needed,” does not.
But there is more:
- It also includes sections on the increased security in Greenland and NATO activity in the Arcticas well as additional work in the field of raw materialsaccording to the same sources.
- The proposal also adds clauses on the positioning of the in Greenland and on how to counter the “malign external influence” of Russia and China.
Yesterday, in Davos, he made it clear that he would not use force to remove what he wants from the island, always with the excuse of security, given the alleged claims in the area of , but with natural resources and trade routes also in the target. Previously, both he and his cabinet staff had refused to rule out armed means, that “by hook or by crook” against Greenland… Wasn’t it Iceland? The Republican president was wrong up to three times yesterday when talking about the territory in his interventions in Switzerland. , there are no memes on the internet for him, by the way.
“If this deal is approved, and President Trump has high hopes that it will be, the United States will achieve all your strategic objectives regarding Greenland, at very low cost, forever,” say sources from Axioswho boast that the president “is demonstrating once again that he is the chief negotiator“. The premises are that: Denmark retains its sovereignty, but the United States can increase its military presence. Now it is expected that the United States begin negotiations in the coming weeks high-level talks with Denmark and Greenland on that possible agreement.
A Greenland-shaped cake decorated with the US flag, at a Republicans for National Renewal event at the Kennedy Center in Washington, on January 20, 2026.
A transcendent change
News of the framework came hours after Trump told European leaders in Davos, Switzerland, that would not settle for anything less than the United States taking over Greenlandwhile withdrawing the threat of invading it. Trump had promised security for Europe if he didn’t get his way.
That same day, before a room full of heads of state, billionaires and other world leaders, the magnate reiterated that the United States needed Greenland for reasons of national security. He assured that only the US was strong enough to defend Greenland from external threats, and that defending it only made sense if they are its owners.
He called for “immediate negotiations” to discuss transferring ownership of the semi-autonomous island from Denmark to the US and mocked European countries as unrecognizable from their former beauty and dependent on the United States. “Without us, most countries don’t even function,” Trump declared.
“Without us, most countries don’t even function”
The day made clear Trump’s second-term approach to global power and policymaking: alternating between coerce and humiliate to once-close allies in pursuit of a goal that Trump appears to consider a crucial part of his legacy.
“We probably won’t accomplish anything unless he decides to use excessive force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable,” Trump said. “But I won’t do it. That’s probably the most important statement, because people thought I would use force. I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I will not use force. “All America asks for is a place called Greenland.”
However, soon afterward, Trump issued explicit and implicit threats to European leaders if they did not accede to his wishes. He reminded the audience that had unilaterally taxed imports to the United States from countries throughout Europe and abroadand that had already threatened to increase tariffs on Denmark and several European countries that have defended Danish sovereignty over the island.
As is often the case in their delicate dealings with Trump, some European leaders reacted to what they considered the most positive point of his statements – their promise not to deploy troops – and expressed their hope of reaching an agreement on the future of Greenland.
Rasmus Jarlov, chairman of the Danish parliament’s defense committee, said in an interview that “we’ve heard much worse” about Trump. ““I’m glad you ruled out the use of military force.”Jarlov said. “I did not see an escalation in his statements today. He insists that he wants Greenland, but that is not new. Of course, we continue to insist that we are not going to hand over Greenland.”
“I did not see an escalation in his statements today. He insists that he wants Greenland, but that is not new. Of course, we continue to insist that we are not going to hand over Greenland”
However, Trump left little room for compromise in his speech. Many European leaders have maintained that they cannot accept the transfer of ownership of Greenland to the United States, but they also say be open to almost any other agreement that expands the American presence there. On Wednesday, Trump reiterated that that would not be enough.
“Property is needed to defend it”Trump said. A moment later, he added: “Who the hell wants to defend a license agreement or a lease?” Again his expansionist note. Has he really changed now?
