On the same day, US President Donald Trump said that he and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte had formed the basis for a future agreement on Greenland, a Danish autonomy over which the head of the White House wanted to establish control. After a meeting with Rutte in Davos, Trump refused to introduce the tariffs he had announced against eight NATO countries.
The US President's statement followed a meeting of senior NATO military officials at which a compromise on Greenland was discussed.
NYT interlocutors claim that the idea of locating American military bases and US sovereignty over small areas of Greenland belongs to Rutte. Two of them present at the meeting compared the model to British military bases in Cyprus, which are considered British territory.
However, officials do not know whether this idea is part of the framework agreement announced by Trump after his meeting with Rutte.
Context
Trump has repeatedly repeated that the United States must gain control of Greenland, otherwise it will allegedly be captured by China and the Russian Federation. He also said that the US could use military force to take over Greenland.
Against the backdrop of statements by the American president, a number of countries, including Denmark, Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, Great Britain, and Finland, sent military personnel to Greenland for reconnaissance purposes in preparation for military exercises. In response to this, on January 17, Trump announced, starting February 1, a 10% tariff on any goods supplied to the United States by these NATO countries. And from June 1, these duties will be increased to 25%, Trump noted. According to him, they will act until an agreement is reached on the “full and final purchase of Greenland” by the United States.
On January 18, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK issued a joint statement noting that such actions by the American president undermine transatlantic relations.
On January 21 in Davos, Trump said that the United States allegedly already owned Greenland, but after the war “returned” it to Denmark. “How stupid we were to do this,” said the head of the White House. Trump demanded immediate negotiations to re-discuss the US acquisition of Greenland.
On the same day, after negotiations with Rutte, Trump announced that he would not impose tariffs against NATO countries.
