President Donald Trump has said he no longer plans to impose tariffs on European countries that had opposed his ambitions for the US to acquire Greenland.
In a social media post, Trump said his decision followed a “very productive meeting” with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte.
“This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all Nato Nations,” he wrote. Rutte has not confirmed the outcome.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Trump told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that he would not use military force but wanted immediate talks to secure ownership of the territory, which he insists is vital for US national security.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in a statement: “The day is ending on a better note than it began.”
He added: “Now, let’s sit down and find out how we can address the American security concerns in the Arctic while respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark.”
Announcing his decision on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump said more information would be made available “as discussions progress”.
He added that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff would “report directly” to him as negotiations proceed.
Trump provided no further details, raising questions about whether they had discussed a sale or lease, how a potential deal would address the security concerns he has consistently raised, and what Denmark, which controls the territory, thought of a potential agreement.
In the hours that followed, some details began trickling out.
Trump told CNBC the deal would last “forever” and could involve mineral rights and the planned Golden Dome missile defence system, which is envisioned as a shield of interceptors and detectors spanning land, sea and space to protect the US from long-range missile strikes.
Along with Greenland’s position on the globe, the Trump administration has spoken about its vast – and largely untapped – reserves of rare earth minerals, many of which are crucial for technologies including mobile phones and electric vehicles.
After the post, Trump told CNN in Davos that the deal framework for Greenland was “pretty far along” and “gets us everything we needed to get”, especially “real national security and international security”.
He did not say if the framework included American ownership of Greenland, though.
Trump had previously dismissed the idea of leasing Greenland, saying that “you defend ownership. You don’t defend leases.”
According to the New York Times, the plan would grant the US ownership of small pockets of the territory’s land, where the US could build military bases.
Officials who attended a Nato meeting about the issue on Wednesday told the newspaper the envisaged arrangement would be similar to UK bases on Cyprus, which are part of British Overseas Territories.
Under existing agreements with Denmark, the US can bring as many troops as it wants to Greenland. It already has more than 100 military personnel permanently stationed at its Pituffik base in the north-western tip of the territory.
Nato spokeswoman Allison Hart said in a statement that during the meeting Trump and Rutte had “discussed the critical significance of security in the Arctic region to all Allies, including the United States”.
“Negotiations between Denmark, Greenland, and the United States will go forward aimed at ensuring that Russia and China never gain a foothold – economically or militarily – in Greenland,” she also said.
Trump had said he was planning to place a 10% tariff “on any and all goods” sent from the UK to the US from 1 February, increasing to 25% from 1 June, until a deal was reached for Washington to purchase Greenland from Denmark.
The same would apply to goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland – all of which are members of Nato, the defence alliance founded in 1949.
In a speech to the World Economic Forum earlier on Wednesday, Trump had said he was “seeking immediate negotiations” to acquire Greenland, but insisted the US would not take the territory with force.
“We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive force. We’d be unstoppable, but we won’t do that,” Trump said on Wednesday. “I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.”
He also urged world leaders to allow the US to take control of Greenland from Denmark, saying: “You can say yes and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no and we will remember.”
But Trump suggested he would not be receptive to any agreements on the US use of Greenland that fall short of full ownership.
In his own speech at Davos a day earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron criticised Trump’s previous threat of tariffs, saying an “endless accumulation of new tariffs” from the US was “fundamentally unacceptable”.
Macron was among those urging the EU to consider retaliatory options against new US levies.
In his speech, Trump took aim at Macron, saying France had been “screwing” the US for decades.
The US president also took a swipe at Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who spoke at Davos on Tuesday, urging “middle powers” such as Australia, Argentina and his own country to band together, saying: “If we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.”
In response, the US president accused Carney of being ungrateful to the US.
“Canada lives because of the United States,” Trump said. “Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”
