(Al Jazeera Media Network) United States President Donald Trump has dropped his threat to impose tariffs on European countries opposed to his bid to take control of Greenland and ruled out the use of force to seize the territory, a stunning about-face in a dispute that has brought transatlantic relations to their lowest ebb in decades.
Trump said on Wednesday that he would not go ahead with his planned tariffs after he and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte agreed on a “framework” for a future deal involving Greenland and the Arctic region.
“This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social after meeting Rutte on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Trump said discussions were also under way about his plans for the “Golden Dome”, a proposed missile defence shield, and the territory.
Trump’s post did not provide details about the framework.
In brief remarks to reporters in Davos, the US president said the framework addressed “security and minerals and everything else”.
In an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Rutte provided few specifics about the framework and dodged questions about whether the US would take ownership of the island.
“We basically discussed how can we implement the president’s vision on protecting, yes, Greenland but not only Greenland, the whole Arctic,” Rutte said.
Asked by Fox News’ Bret Baier if Denmark would continue to exercise sovereignty over Greenland under the framework, Rutte said the “issue did not come up”.
NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart told Al Jazeera that Rutte “did not propose any compromise to sovereignty” during his meeting with Trump.
Hart said the meeting was “productive” and said the framework would focus on 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,” she said.
Ole Wæver, a professor of international relations at the University of Copenhagen, expressed doubt that Trump’s framework would be anything more substantial than a face-saving “pretend” deal.
“NATO can’t negotiate minerals or ownership of territory for bases. They can of course agree on future priorities in the Arctic,” Wæver told Al Jazeera.
“Most likely, the main process now goes back where Denmark and Greenland tried at the meeting of foreign ministers in Washington to land it: a bureaucratic committee working out defense plans, possibly some update to the defense agreements.”
Trump has been threatening for weeks to take control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous region of Denmark, casting doubt over the future of the NATO military alliance and some $1.7 trillion in transatlantic trade.
Trump had threatened to impose a 10 percent tariff on Denmark and seven other European countries from February 1, rising to 25 percent from June 1, unless a deal was reached for the US to buy the island.
Trump has repeatedly accused Denmark of failing to do enough to secure Greenland’s territorial waters in the Arctic, claiming that the island is vital to Washington’s security in light of China and Russia’s ambitions in the region.
Denmark has said that Greenland is not for sale, and that any move to take the island by force would spell the end of NATO, the 32-member transatlantic alliance that includes both the US and Denmark.
Trump’s U-turn on the tariffs came just hours after he told international leaders gathered in Davos that he would not use force to annex Greenland, even as he insisted that only the US could “secure” the vast, mineral-rich territory.
“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.”
