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President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he was cancelling his planned tariffs on U.S. allies in Europe over U.S. control of Greenland after he and the leader of NATO agreed to a “framework of a future deal” on Arctic security.
The abrupt about-face emerged hours after Trump had insisted he wants to “get Greenland, including right, title and ownership” but said he would not use force to do so — all while deriding European allies and vowing that NATO should not try to block U.S. expansionism.
“We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be frankly unstoppable. But I won’t do that, OK?” Trump said earlier in the day, later adding, “I don’t have to” and “I don’t want to use force.”
NATO was founded by leading European nations, the U.S. and Canada as a bloc meant to counter the Soviet Union. Its other members have been steadfast in saying Greenland is not for sale and cannot be wrested from Denmark, meaning Trump’s comments could yet mark the beginning of a larger geopolitical standoff.
The president has long said the U.S. will get control of Greenland no matter what it takes, arguing that Washington needs the world’s largest island to counter threats in the surrounding Arctic Ocean from Russia and China. That’s despite the U.S. already having a large military base there.
A Danish government official told The Associated Press after Trump’s speech that Copenhagen was ready to discuss U.S. security concerns. But the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to comment publicly, underscored the government’s position that “red lines” — namely Denmark’s sovereignty — must be respected.
More to come.