Lammy, a former foreign secretary who is close to US vice-president JD Vance, said he had never believed the US would use military force to annex the Danish territory.
“I said years ago that was never, ever going to happen,” he told Political Thinking, in an interview recorded on Thursday. Lammy said in January last year, before his second term began, that Trump would not try to take Greenland by force.
Lammy told Nick Robinson that Trump’s change of approach this week was a “consequence” of the UK making its position on the need to respect international law and the will of fellow Nato allies “absolutely crystal clear”.
“Let’s remember what has actually happened. Donald Trump stepped back from any suggestion of force, and he stepped back from the use of tariffs,” he added.
“Why? Because his close friend the United Kingdom and European partners expressed their displeasure, and he has stepped back.
“What’s really gone on is actually our great ally, the United States, despite the noise, has responded to our concerns.”