President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte have “formed the framework for a future agreement on Greenland.”
As a result of the negotiations, President Trump said he would no longer impose punitive tariffs on many European countries, which were scheduled to begin on February 1st.
In an interview with CNBC’s Joe Kernen minutes after posting the statement, President Trump described the Greenland framework as a “consensual concept.”
When asked about the details of the proposal, President Trump said, “It’s a little complicated, but I’ll explain it later.”
But he suggested the framework would include U.S. mineral rights as well as the Trump administration’s proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense system.
“They’re going to be involved with Golden Dome, they’re going to be involved with the mineral rights, and so are we,” Trump told Kernen.
Asked to confirm that the tariffs would no longer apply next month, President Trump said, “No, it looks like the concept of the deal is pretty much set in stone, so we’ve withdrawn it.”
Read President Trump’s full announcement posted on Truth Social.
Based on very productive talks with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, we formed the framework for a future agreement on Greenland, and indeed on the entire Arctic region. Once completed, this solution would be a great solution for the United States and all NATO countries. Based on this understanding, I will not impose the tariffs that were scheduled to take effect on February 1st. The Golden Dome is subject to additional discussion as it relates to Greenland. Further information will be released as discussions progress. Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and various others as needed will be responsible for negotiations and will report directly to me. Thank you for your consideration in this matter.
Immediately after Trump posted the update, stocks skyrocketed.
The announcement came after a meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where some NATO members discussed a proposal that would give the United States sovereignty over a small parcel of land in Greenland, The New York Times reported, citing three senior officials familiar with the discussions.
Other details about the framework agreement are unclear. Asked for additional information, White House press secretary Anna Kelly echoed Trump’s assurance that further details “continue to emerge as discussions continue.”
Although lacking in clarity, the announcement marks a surprising development in the ongoing controversy over President Trump’s persistent efforts to acquire Greenland for the United States.
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has been considering purchasing the island or even using the U.S. military to rule it, even though it is part of Denmark, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally.
Danish and Greenlandic officials rejected the US and reiterated that Greenland is not for sale. As tensions escalated, many European NATO countries increased their military presence in the region.
President Trump responded over the weekend by threatening to impose new tariffs on those countries, starting at 10% next month and increasing to 25% in June.
In a speech at Davos earlier Wednesday, Trump advocated for the United States to acquire Greenland on national security grounds.
His remarks, which included a call for “immediate negotiations” with Denmark, upset some in the audience.
But Trump also said he would not use military force to pursue territory, a clear change from his previous position.
Stocks, which had plummeted the previous day in response to President Trump’s increased aggression toward Greenland, quickly rebounded.
Late Wednesday, President Trump recently said anything less than full ownership of Greenland was “unacceptable,” but declined to say whether the new framework would include the acquisition of the island by the United States.
“This is a long-term agreement,” Trump told CNN after taking a breath. “This is the ultimate long-term deal. I think it puts everyone in a really good position.”
“The day is ending better than when it began,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen told XPost.
He urged parties to consider “how we can address U.S. security concerns in the Arctic while respecting the no-crossing lines established by Denmark.”
But some European leaders warned against celebrating prematurely.
“It’s good that the two countries are engaged in dialogue,” German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil told Germany’s ZDF television after the meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Rutte.
“But we need to wait a little bit and not get our hopes up too soon,” Klingbeil said.
