Trump Drops Idea of Taking Greenland by Force, Easing Tensions
US President Donald Trump has made an about face on threats to invade Greenland and put punitive extra tariffs on European countries opposed to his annexation plans. He now says there's a framework for the Danish territory's future — but he hasn't dropped his ambition to take it for the US.
Greenland Stays Danish as Trump Backs Down on Annexation Threat
REPORTER:
It’s all smiles for boat captain Isak Brandt, who’s travelling through Greenland’s Nuuk Fjord.
REPORTER:
4,000km away, in Davos, Switzerland, US President Donald Trump has announced he will not use force to annex Greenland. For now, at least, Greenland’s position as a territory of NATO member Denmark is intact—and a crisis that threatened to fracture the alliance averted.
REPORTER:
It feels like a huge relief. And in many ways, because of course, I and many other Greenlandic people have been super worried about what might happen because there have been talks about using force. So it makes me super relieved. But again, you never know with Donald Trump.
REPORTER:
I'm just thrilled that he has now announced that. But I'm also like keeping my hopes down and still, like, hoping for the best and preparing for the worst because sometimes he can be saying a lot of stuff.
REPORTER:
Trump hasn’t given up on taking Greenland. He says if the US doesn’t have it, adversaries like China or Russia will take it for themselves.
REPORTER:
Military takeover may be off the table. But some of what he said in his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos raised alarm bells.
JOURNALIST:
Mr. President, when you said you would remember if Denmark did not agree to a deal on Greenland, what did you mean? What are the consequences?
Donald Trump (PRESIDENT):
You'll have to figure that out for yourself. You're a smart guy.
REPORTER:
But the temperature is lower than it was earlier this week. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has met with Trump to discuss Greenland. And this is how he sees things.
Mark Rutte (NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL):
Of course, I see that there are these tensions at the moment; there's no doubt. Again, I'm not going to comment on that, but I can assure you the only way to deal with that is, in the end, thoughtful diplomacy.
REPORTER:
After the meeting Trump made a second about face—cancelling punitive tariffs he’d planned on eight European countries opposed to his Greenland plans. Trump says there’s now a framework for a deal on Greenland—and its role in a missile defense shield. No details on that yet.
REPORTER:
Europe’s line is firm: there can be dialogue, but Denmark’s sovereignty over Greenland is not up for discussion.
Danish Official:
Denmark is keeping our agreements. And the agreement we made in Washington last week, with his vice president and his foreign minister that we will start high-level discussions to see if we are able to accommodate the American concerns, concerns that, as I also understand the president touched upon in this speech, in a way that respects our red lines. That is what we can negotiate about. Well, we are not starting any negotiations based on giving up some basic principles. We will never do that.
REPORTER:
And so the next step in the Greenland Crisis will come down to whether Trump will accept the red lines Denmark’s put down—and if not--how he might respond.
