Trump backs away from Greenland purchase after rift with NATO allies

President Trump escalated and then retreated this week on a bid to acquire Greenland, threatening Denmark and other allies at the World Economic Forum in Davos before announcing a vague "framework of a future deal" on Air Force One that stopped short of ownership. The president began with a maximalist demand that an ally cede a vast territory for U.S.

security, complaining that "We want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won’t give it," and warning that allies should remember if they said no. He threatened new tariffs, markets fell, and allies openly objected. Mr. Trump later described what sounded like a lease arrangement in which "the time limit is infinity" and "we can do anything we want," and called the outcome "a much more generous deal." The United States already has broad rights in Greenland under a 1951 treaty, the article notes.

Allies and analysts said the episode damaged the post‑World War II order and splintered NATO, leaving European leaders asking why the drama was created only to be followed by a retreat. Mark Rutte, who helped negotiate the "framework," said American ownership had not come up in his private meeting with the president.

Critics warned the move upended a principle against conquest that has helped preserve peace, while some leaders said they had "de‑escalated" for now. It remains unclear whether Mr.

Key Topics

World, Donald Trump, Greenland, Denmark, Nato, World Economic Forum