US President, Donald Trump, on Wednesday, said he has reached a framework understanding on Greenland following discussions with Mark Rutte, a development he claimed has removed the need for threatened tariffs against European allies.
Trump announced the development in a post on his Truth Social platform after meetings on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, saying the discussions had produced the outline of a future agreement covering Greenland and the wider Arctic region.
“Based upon a very productive meeting that I have 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 wrote.
“This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations.”
He added that, in light of the understanding, he would no longer proceed with new tariffs that were scheduled to take effect on February 1 against European countries that had opposed his push for US control of Greenland.
The president also confirmed that talks were continuing on the proposed “Golden Dome” missile defence system, which he has repeatedly said would rely heavily on Greenland’s strategic Arctic location.
Trump named Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his special envoy Steve Witkoff as lead negotiators.
Rutte, for his part, praised Trump during a bilateral meeting, crediting him with pushing European allies and Canada to increase defence spending.
He said Trump’s pressure had helped secure a NATO pledge for members to work toward spending five per cent of GDP on defence and security by 2035, while reaffirming that NATO allies would come to the United States’ aid if attacked.
Trump later suggested he could envision paying for Greenland, while stressing that the territory’s value lay primarily in security considerations.
“There’s a bigger price, and that’s the price of safety, national security, I mean international security,” he said, reiterating that he did not believe military force would be necessary.