Following his appearance at the World Economic Forum, Trump’s announced punitive tariffs are off the table for the time being. However, his interest in Greenland remains unbroken.
He had a “very productive meeting” with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, US President Trump wrote on Truth Social. Both had laid the foundations for a deal for Greenland and the entire Arctic region. Trump did not provide any details. At the same time, he announced that he was withdrawing the planned punitive tariffs against eight European countries.
Originally, Denmark, whose territory includes Greenland, as well as Germany, the UK, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Finland were to be hit with tariffs. These countries had promised Greenland their support. From February 1, a tariff of 10% would have been levied, followed by 25% on June 1. The feared blow to the transatlantic trade volume has thus been avoided – at least for the time being.
No military deployment planned in Greenland
During his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump once again emphasized his claim to Greenland. Only the USA is in a position to secure the region, he said. Greenland is “just a piece of ice”, the president played down the value of the island. He did not mention raw materials or rare earths; his sole aim was to strengthen the US presence in the Arctic against Russia and China. For the first time, Trump spoke of not wanting to take the island by military force – this would have led to the end of NATO. Instead, he called for “immediate negotiations” on the sale of Greenland, which he occasionally confused with Iceland in his speech.
He also claimed that the USA had defended Greenland against German occupation during the Second World War and that American soldiers had driven out the Nazis. Greenland was then returned to Denmark. “How could we do that?” Trump asked rhetorically. He omitted the fact that only Denmark itself was occupied during the war. At the time, the Danish ambassador to the USA negotiated for American soldiers to be sent to Greenland to secure it. Even today, up to 200 Americans are stationed at the Pituffik Space Base in the northwest of the island. However, Greenland was never in US possession, as Trump claims. It could therefore never have been returned.
The further course of the negotiations is still open. However, if Trump sticks to his demand to incorporate Greenland into the USA, the potential for conflict between America and Europe will remain – and with it the prospect of new tariffs or further “punishments” from the US President. (JW)
