President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had reached agreement on a “framework” that could cool tensions triggered by his repeated vows to take control of Greenland.
Fresh off his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said on social media that he had a “productive meeting” with Rutte on the contours toward a “future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region.”
Amid American voters’ widespread disapproval about taking over the semi-autonomous Danish territory, the U.S. president appeared to drop his threat to slap new tariffs on European nations that had rejected his calls for America to take control of the island.
“This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations. Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
He also wrote that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and other U.S. officials would lead the new talks “and will report directly to me.”
Asked later by CNN if the “framework” included the United States owning Greenland, Trump paused for a moment before saying, “It’s a long-term deal.”
“I think it puts everybody in a really good position, especially as it pertains to security and minerals and everything else,” he said. Trump reiterated that officials from all sides would be negotiating the “details of the deal,” which he said would be “infinite.”
A de-escalation
Earlier Wednesday, Trump used his address before world leaders in Davos to drop his threat of using U.S. military force to take Greenland, instead calling for “immediate” negotiations on the Arctic island’s future.
“It’s the United States alone that can protect this giant mass of land, this giant piece of ice, develop it and improve it and make it so that it’s good for Europe and safe for Europe and good for us,” he said.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen quickly rebutted Trump, declaring that Denmark and Greenland would not start talks “based on giving up some basic principles.”
“We’ll never get there,” he added, according to translations from multiple media outlets. “We live in 2026.”
Rasmussen, who was in Washington for initial but brief negotiations with the White House last week, welcomed Trump stating clearly that U.S. military action was off the table. But he said Copenhagen’s assessment was that America’s desire to take over the island remained “intact.”
Asked later by a reporter about Rasmussen appearing to reject his call for U.S. control of Greenland, Trump shot back: “If he wants to tell me, he’ll tell me that to my face.”
“I’ll be discussing with this man, right here,” Trump said, seated alongside Rutte, whom the president called “more important.”
While he took the use of military force in Greenland off the table, Trump used his forum remarks to tout the power of the U.S. military.
“I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force, I won’t use force,” he said. “All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland, where we already had it as a trustee, but respectfully returned it back to Denmark not long ago after we defeated the Germans, the Japanese, the Italians and others in World War II. We gave it back to them.”
Trump appeared to be referring to a World War II-era pact with Denmark that gave the U.S. the right to establish military facilities in Greenland, but it did not give the U.S. sovereignty over the island, as a New York Times fact check noted.
Congressional voices
On Capitol Hill, the House has been preparing to potentially take up a war powers measure, but most Republican members were expected to stick by the commander in chief.
Asked if he would support the measure, which would tie Trump’s hands on future military action inside Venezuela and could be a model for measures focused on Greenland and other countries, House Foreign Affairs member Tim Burchett expressed opposition.
“I wouldn’t support it,” the Tennessee Republican said, before referring to ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro as a “thug.”
“The drugs that he’s pumped into our kids’ veins, it’s enough for me,” he said.
Earlier Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson said that, based on his conversations with Trump, U.S. military action in Greenland was never truly an option.
“As I’ve been saying for days, no one ever anticipated or expected that would be necessary,” the Louisiana Republican told reporters at the Capitol. “The president and I talked multiple times over the weekend. I know right where his head is on this, and I’m glad he’s articulating that for all of our friends over there at Davos.”
Still, a handful of House Republicans appear poised to back the Venezuela war powers measure. Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon, who is vacating his battleground district this year, said Trump’s Greenland talk has only hardened his resolve.
“He literally says his only restraint is his own morality,” Bacon said Wednesday, citing Trump’s recent remark to The New York Times. “I know that his team is like, ‘You can’t judge Venezuela by that,’ but I do. I think we need to have a check and balance.”
Bacon, who said he met with several foreign ambassadors Tuesday night, sees “a lot of strain in our relationship” with Europe.
“You don’t threaten an ally,” the Nebraska Republican said. “We treat our allies with more respect. We don’t throw tariffs out there like popcorn. I’m glad he corrected it, but I think the damage has been done.”
Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican Trump critic facing a primary challenger endorsed by the president, said he would join Bacon in backing the Venezuela war powers resolution. Like his Nebraska colleague, Massie said Trump’s announced “framework” for Greenland doesn’t change his mind.
“We are giving up power to the executive branch that’s not even ours to give up,” he said. “[Republican members] just don’t want to be on record. … They don’t want to be held accountable if it goes south.”
The post Trump announces ‘framework’ with NATO to start Greenland talks appeared first on Roll Call.
