Washington/Davos, (UNI) US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he will not be imposing tariffs regarding Greenland after a “very productive” meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte, and cited a “framework of a future deal” with NATO involving Greenland and the Arctic region.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said “we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region”.
The US president added the “solution” will be great for the US and all NATO countries.
“This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations. Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st,” Trump wrote from Davos, Switzerland, following his meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
The about turn came after Trump addressed the annual meeting of global leaders at the World Economic Forum earlier in the day and reiterated his insistence that the US needs to own the semi-autonomous Danish territory for security reasons. He for the first time, ruled out the use of military force to take control of the island, and said he was instead “seeking immediate negotiations” over the territory.
Earlier, over the weekend, President Trump had threatened to impose 10% tariffs on eight European countries that opposed his Greenland push beginning next month, and said the tariff would increase to 25% if the US did not acquire the island.
The threat of a trade war with longstanding allies sent shockwaves through European capitals, with leaders scrambling to address the threat and defend Greenland and Denmark’s autonomy before gathering in Davos.
Trump has argued that owning Greenland is critical for completing his “Golden Dome” missile defense shield, and that NATO should back his acquisition of the territory to defend against Russia and China.
In his Truth Social post, he said that discussions over the missile shield will continue.
“Additional discussions are being held concerning The Golden Dome as it pertains to Greenland,” he said. “Further information will be made available as discussions progress. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and various others, as needed, will be responsible for the negotiations — They will report directly to me.”
Trump had said he will charge a 10% tariff “on any and all goods” sent from some countries – including the UK and European allies – to the US. That figure would increase to 25% from June 1 until a deal is reached over Greenland.
When asked by NBC News just two days ago whether he would follow through on the tariff threat, Trump had said: “I will, 100%.”
