Trump touts ‘total access’ Greenland deal; NATO asks allies to step up

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MARKO DJURICA / REUTERS

A few people protest in front of the U.S. consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, today.

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JONATHAN ERNST / REUTERS

President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Wednesday.

DAVOS, Switzerland >> President Donald Trump said today he had secured total and permanent U.S. access to Greenland in a deal with NATO, whose head said allies would have to step up their commitment to Arctic security to ward off threats from Russia and China.

News of a framework deal came as Trump backed off tariff threats and ruled out taking Greenland by force on Wednesday, bringing a degree of respite in what was brewing to be the biggest rupture in transatlantic ties in decades.

But the details of any agreement were unclear and Denmark insisted its sovereignty over the island was not up for discussion. Denmark’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s latest comments.

Trump’s U-turn had triggered a rebound in European markets but also raised questions about how much damage had already been done to transatlantic ties and business confidence.

“It’s really being negotiated now, the details of it. But essentially it’s total access. It’s — there’s no end, there’s no time limit,” Trump told Fox Business Network in an interview from Davos, where he is attending the World Economic Forum.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told Reuters in an interview in Davos that it was now up to NATO’s senior commanders to work through the details of extra security requirements.

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“I have no doubt we can do this quite fast. Certainly I would hope for 2026, I hope even early in 2026,” he said.

Trump’s ambition to wrest sovereignty over Greenland from fellow NATO member Denmark has threatened to blow apart the alliance that 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 been held with NATO regarding the sovereignty of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark.

“It is still a difficult and serious situation, but progress has also been made in the sense that we have now got things where they need to be. Namely that we can discuss how we promote common security in the Arctic region,” Frederiksen said.

After meeting with Rutte, Trump had earlier said there could be a deal that satisfies 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 minerals exploitation was not discussed during his meeting with Trump, adding that specific negotiations on the Arctic island would continue between the United States, Denmark and Greenland itself.

A 1951 agreement between the United States and Denmark established the U.S. right to construct military bases in Greenland and move around freely in Greenlandic territory. This is still the case as long as Denmark and Greenland are informed of its actions.

“First of all, it is important to clarify that the U.S. had 17 bases during the Cold War and much greater activity. So that is already possible now under the current agreement,” said Marc Jacobsen, an associate professor at the Royal Danish Defense College. “I think there will be concrete discussions about Golden Dome, and I think there will be concrete discussions about Russia and China not being welcome in Greenland.”

However, diplomats told Reuters that European Union leaders will rethink relations with the U.S. as the Greenland episode has badly shaken confidence in the transatlantic relationship.

EU governments remain wary of another change of mind from Trump, who is increasingly seen as a bully whom Europe will have to confront.

“Trump crossed the Rubicon. He might do it again. There is no coming back to what it was. And leaders will discuss it,” one EU diplomat said, adding the EU needed to find an alternative to its dependence on the United States in many areas.

There were also mixed feelings among some residents in the Greenland capital, Nuuk.

“I’m very thrilled to hear that, first of all, because he has been saying a lot of stuff about taking Greenland with force, like he’ll do it the hard way, which is so scary to hear,” said Ivi Luna Olsen, a tour guide. “But I’m also like keeping my hopes down and still, like, hoping for the best and preparing for the worst because sometimes he can be saying a lot of stuff.”

Addressing the issue for the first time in public, President Vladimir Putin said that Greenland’s ownership was not Russia’s concern, while China’s foreign ministry said today that “the so-called China threat” to Greenland was groundless.

Trump’s push to seize Greenland had threatened to renew trade tensions with Europe and some business groups remain wary.

“What President Trump announces today may be obsolete tomorrow,” Dirk Jandura, president of Germany’s wholesale and export association BGA, told Reuters. “The ongoing unpredictability is causing lasting damage to confidence in trade relations and remains a serious risk to the global economy.”

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