Washington, Jan 22 : US President Donald Trump announced that he had reached a “framework for a future deal” over Greenland after meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
“Based on a very productive meeting that I had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region,” Trump said.
The details of the framework remain unknown, but Trump agreed to lift the tariffs he had threatened to impose on European allies starting February 1.
Trump also reversed his decision on tariffs, stating that he would not go ahead with his planned measures after he and Rutte agreed on a “framework” for a future deal involving Greenland and the Arctic region.
After criticising Denmark, claiming it was too weak to protect Greenland, Trump reiterated his stance on the territory.
“We need it for strategic national security and international security. This enormous, unsecured island is actually part of North America. That’s our territory,” he said.
“This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO nations. Based on this understanding, I will not be imposing the tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st,” Trump added.
“Additional discussions are being held concerning The Golden Dome as it pertains to Greenland. Further information will be made available as discussions progress,” he said.
Trump noted that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and others as needed, would be responsible for the negotiations and would report directly to him. He also mentioned that the framework addressed “security, minerals, and everything else.”
On the other hand, Rutte preferred to offer few specifics about the framework during an interview with Fox News and dodged questions about whether the US would take ownership of the island.
“We basically discussed how we can implement the president’s vision on protecting, yes, Greenland, but not only Greenland, the whole Arctic,” Rutte said.
Asked if Denmark would continue to exercise sovereignty over Greenland under the framework, Rutte said the “issue did not come up.”
NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart stated that Rutte “did not propose any compromise to sovereignty” during his meeting with Trump. She described the meeting as “productive” and said the framework would focus on the allies’ “collective efforts” to uphold Arctic security.
“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,” Hart said.
Trump had been threatening for weeks to take control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous region of Denmark, raising concerns about the future of the NATO military alliance and USD1.7 trillion in transatlantic trade.
He had threatened to impose a 10 percent tariff on Denmark and seven other European countries from February 1, with plans to increase it to 25 percent from June 1, unless a deal was reached for the US to purchase the island.
Trump has repeatedly accused Denmark of failing to secure Greenland’s territorial waters in the Arctic, arguing that the island is vital to US security due to China and Russia’s ambitions in the region.
Denmark has said Greenland is not for sale, and any attempt to seize the island by force would endanger NATO, the 32-member transatlantic alliance that includes both the US and Denmark.
Trump’s decision to reverse the tariff threat came just hours after he told international leaders in Davos that he would not use force to annex Greenland, despite insisting that only the US could “secure” the vast, mineral-rich territory.
For European leaders, there were four words in a speech of otherwise fiery rhetoric that mattered: “I won’t use force.”
This provided relief to world leaders that Trump would not attempt to seize Greenland using military might.
“People thought I would use force. I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force,” Trump said, adding that he was “seeking immediate negotiations to once again discuss the acquisition of Greenland.”
“We need it for strategic national security and international security,” Trump said. “This enormous, unsecured island is actually part of North America. That’s our territory.” UNI
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