- NATO will strengthen its presence in the Arctic as part of the American framework agreement.
- Trump’s ambitions in Greenland are straining transatlantic relations.
- European leaders are wary of the reliability of the United States after the Greenland episode.
President Donald Trump said Thursday he has secured full and permanent U.S. access to Greenland as part of a deal with NATO, whose leader said the allies should step up their commitment to Arctic security to ward off threats from Russia and China.
News of a framework deal came as Trump backed away from his tariff threats against Europe and ruled out taking Greenland by force, bringing some respite in what was shaping up to be the biggest breakdown in transatlantic ties in decades.
Trump’s turnaround sparked a rebound in European markets and a return to record highs for Wall Street’s major indexes, but also raised questions about the extent of the damage already done to transatlantic ties and business confidence.
Details of a possible deal were unclear and Denmark insisted its sovereignty over the island was not up for discussion. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc’s relations with the United States “took a major blow” last week as European leaders met for an emergency summit.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed Trump’s comments but said he remained in the dark on many aspects.
“I don’t know what is in the deal, or the agreement, regarding my country,” he told reporters in Nuuk, the capital.
“We’re willing to discuss a lot of things and we’re willing to negotiate a better partnership and so on. But sovereignty is a red line,” he said, when asked about reports that Trump was seeking to control areas around U.S. military bases in Greenland as part of a broader deal.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One upon returning from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said a new deal was being negotiated that would be “much more generous to the United States, much more generous.”
He sidestepped questions about sovereignty, but said: “We have to have the capacity to do exactly what we want to do.”
Earlier, Trump told Fox Business Network that the deal would essentially bring “full access” to the United States.
“There is no end, there is no time limit.”
A source close to the matter said Reuters NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Trump agreed in Davos to continue negotiations between the United States, Denmark and Greenland on updating a 1951 agreement that governs access and the American military presence on the Arctic island.
The framework they discussed also includes banning Chinese and Russian investments in Greenland, the source said.
Another source close to the matter said what was agreed was “a framework to build upon”, adding that “anything reported on specific details is speculative”.
Rutte said Reuters In Davos, it was now up to senior NATO commanders to work out the details of additional security requirements.
“I have no doubt that we can get there quite quickly. I certainly hope for 2026, I hope even early 2026,” he said.
Denmark says situation remains difficult
Trump’s ambition to wrest sovereignty over Greenland from Denmark, another NATO member, threatens to unravel the alliance that has underpinned Western security since the end of World War II and reignite a trade war with Europe.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said no negotiations had taken place with NATO regarding the sovereignty of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark.
“The situation remains difficult and serious, but progress has also been made in the sense that we have now reached where it needs to be. That is, we can discuss how to promote common security in the Arctic region,” she said.
Speaking later on the eve of the emergency summit of EU leaders, Frederiksen called for a “permanent NATO presence in the Arctic region, including around Greenland.”
Kallas said that “disagreements that allies have among themselves, like Europe and America, only benefit our adversaries who are watching and enjoying the view.”
Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he hoped the allies could develop a plan to strengthen Arctic security by the NATO summit in Ankara in July.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Rutte on Thursday that the UK was ready to play its full role in ensuring security in the Arctic, a spokesperson said.
After meeting with Rutte, Trump said there could be a deal that would satisfy his desire for a “Golden Dome” missile defense system and access to critical minerals while blocking what he says are Russia and China’s ambitions in the Arctic.
Rutte said mining was not discussed during his meeting with Trump. Specific negotiations on the Arctic island will continue between the United States, Denmark and Greenland itself, he said.
The 1951 agreement granted the United States the right to build military bases in Greenland and to travel freely within Greenlandic territory. This will remain the case as long as Denmark and Greenland are informed of his actions. Washington has a base at Pituffik, in northern Greenland.
“It is important to point out that the United States had 17 bases during the Cold War and much more activity. So this is already possible thanks to the current agreement,” said Marc Jacobsen, professor at the Royal Danish Defense College.
“I think there will be concrete discussions about the Golden Dome, and I think there will be concrete discussions about the fact that Russia and China will not be welcome in Greenland.”
Greenlanders and European leaders are wary
The president of the European Parliament said the European Union would likely resume work on a trade deal with the United States after Trump withdrew his tariff threats. Parliament decided this week to suspend work on the deal due to Trump’s threats.
However, diplomats said Reuters European leaders will rethink relations with the United States, as the Greenland episode has seriously shaken confidence in transatlantic ties. Governments remain cautious about a further change of heart from Trump, who is increasingly seen as a tyrant that Europe will have to stand up to, they said.
Residents of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, are also wary.
“It’s all very confusing,” said retiree Jesper Müller.
“One hour we’re almost at war. The next hour everything is fine and beautiful, and I think it’s very difficult to imagine that anything could be built on that.”
