US President Donald Trump has backed off his threat to impose sweeping tariffs on eight European countries, claiming he has agreed on what he called a “framework for a future deal” on Greenland. Four days after vowing to impose steep import duties on a number of US allies over their support for Greenland’s continued status as an autonomous Danish territory, the president has backed down.
The US will not impose 10% tariffs on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland starting February 1, as Trump previously warned on his Truth Social platform. Over the weekend, he also threatened to raise the tariffs to 25% starting June 1.
The threat had caused widespread concern; criticism from senior European politicians, who declared that they would not allow themselves to be "blackmailed," as well as warnings from economists.
European Union leaders had threatened to use the so-called anti-coercive instrument (ACI), which would allow the EU to respond to austerity measures through extraordinary trade sanctions.
After what he called a "very productive" meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump claimed to have formed the "framework" of a deal for Greenland, without providing further information.
"Based on this understanding, I will not impose the tariffs that were scheduled to take effect on February 1," Trump said.
He did not provide further details about the agreement, but stressed that talks will continue on the "Golden Dome" based partly in Greenland.
He stressed that the agreement would be in effect “forever.” “We have a concept of a deal. I think it will be a very good deal for the United States, but also for them,” Trump told CNBC. “It’s a little bit complicated, but we’ll explain it later,” he added.
NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart stressed that discussions among NATO allies on the framework Trump mentioned will focus on ensuring security in the Arctic, as she said, "through the collective efforts of allies, particularly the seven Arctic allies."
"Negotiations between Denmark, Greenland and the United States will continue with the aim that Russia and China never acquire a base - economic or military - in Greenland," she added.
Denmark's Foreign Minister has also emphasized that Trump has sent positive signals by saying that he would not use military force to take Greenland.
"Trump said he would stop the trade war. He said 'I will not attack Greenland.' These are positive messages," Lars Lokke Rasmussen told Danish public broadcaster DR. Trump "also had a good conversation with the NATO secretary general," he added, without giving further details.
During the day, Wednesday, in a long and rambling speech in Davos, Trump stressed that the US would not use force to take Greenland, but stressed that he still planned to use his country's economic and diplomatic power to secure it.
During the speech, Trump called for immediate talks with European allies to negotiate Denmark's purchase of the semi-autonomous island.
"I am seeking immediate negotiations to once again discuss the purchase of the island. We will not take anything. Only if he decides to use excessive force, then we would be unstoppable. But we will not do that," Trump declared.
Denmark welcomes Trump's tariff announcement
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen has said he welcomes Trump's announcement to drop additional tariffs on eight European countries over Greenland, BBC reports.
In an interview with Danish national broadcaster DR, he reiterates that what is important for Denmark is to end this in a way that respects the people of Greenland.
"It's not going to happen that the US will own Greenland. That's a red line," he adds.
He says Trump's promise not to use force is a good thing, but it's clear the president has ambitions that Denmark cannot accommodate.
Sweden welcomes Trump's decision not to impose tariffs
European foreign ministers have welcomed the news that Trump will not impose the tariffs he had threatened on countries that support Denmark and Greenland.
Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said in a post on the X platform that the resistance had an impact.
"The demands for border shifts have received deserved criticism. This is also why we have reiterated that we will not be blackmailed. It seems that our work together with allies has had an impact," Stenergard wrote.
NATO: Framework agreed with US will focus on providing security in the Arctic
Photo: Associated Press
A NATO spokesman told the BBC's US partner CBS News that the framework agreed with the US would focus on providing security in the Arctic through the collective efforts of allies.
He added that negotiations between Denmark, Greenland and the US will continue with the aim of ensuring that Russia and China never gain a base, economically or militarily, in Greenland.
Recall that President Trump has maintained that his interest in Greenland is driven by the desire to strengthen national and international security.
Previously, the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, declared that he would not impose tariffs on European countries, which were scheduled to take effect on February 1.
In a post on Truth Social, he wrote that in what he called a very productive meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, they formed the framework for a future agreement regarding Greenland.
During the economic forum in Davos, Trump spoke with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during what he described as an "extraordinary trip."
Rutte told Trump that he could be sure that if the US were ever attacked, "your allies would be with you," adding that under Trump's leadership, the NATO alliance is stronger.