Trump drops Greenland tariff threat after talks with NATO chief

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said the US will not use force to take Greenland and stressed that only America can protect the mineral-rich island, which is at the centre of escalating geopolitical tensions with Europe. Trump stepped back from his threat to impose tariffs on European countries over Greenland during a bilateral meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, signalling a softer, more tactical shift in his approach. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the tariffs that had been scheduled to take effect on 1 February would no longer go ahead following discussions with the NATO chief. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to Trump: There is one thing I heard you say yesterday and today. You were not absolutely sure that the Europeans would come to the rescue of the U.S. if you will be attacked. Let me tell you, they will.  They did in Afghanistan, as you know. For every two Americans who paid the ultimate price, there was one soldier from another NATO country who did not come back to his family, from the Netherlands, from Denmark, particularly from other countries. 

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to Trump:
There is one thing I heard you say yesterday and today.

You were not absolutely sure that the Europeans would come to the rescue of the U.S. if you will be attacked. Let me tell you, they will.

They did in Afghanistan, as you… pic.twitter.com/rtcssmD4wd

— Visioner (@visionergeo) January 21, 2026

Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen welcomed Donald Trump’s decision to drop plans for imposing tariffs that had opposed his ambitions for the US to acquire Greenland. Reacting to the announcement, Rasmussen said the development marked a positive turn, adding that "the day is ending on a better note than it began."
Meanwhile, just hours before the announcement, the European Parliament moved to put its trade deal with the United States on ice. Lawmakers on the parliament’s trade committee voted on Wednesday to freeze the ratification process indefinitely, citing growing unease over Trump's repeated threats linked to the Danish territory, according to Bloomberg. The chair of the parliament’s international trade committee said there was "no alternative" but to suspend approval of the EU–US trade deal.