Donald Trump Ditches Tariff Threat In Latest Climbdown Over Greenland

Donald Trump has ditched his threat to impose tariffs on the UK and seven other European nations over Greenland.

The US president said he had agreed “the framework of a future deal” on the island “and the entire Arctic Region” after talks with Nato general secretary Mark Rutte.

It is unclear whether this means Trump has also ditched his bid to bring Greenland under American control.

His latest climbdown comes just hours after he ruled out using military force to annex the island, which has been a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of Denmark for more than 300 years.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: “Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region.

“This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations. Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st.

“Additional discussions are being held concerning The Golden Dome as it pertains to Greenland. Further information will be made available as discussions progress. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and various others, as needed, will be responsible for the negotiations — They will report directly to me. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Trump threatened on Saturday to slap a 10% tariff on the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland from February 1 if America had not taken control of Greenland.

They would then have risen to 25% on June 1 if the stalemate continued.

Earlier on Wednesday, Keir Starmer insisted he “would not yield” to Trump in his opposition to the president’s plans.

Posting on X, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “I welcome news that President Trump has dropped his threat of tariffs for now. This will be a relief to businesses who are already facing so many challenges.

“It is also good to hear Trump rule out the use of force in Greenland. Greenland’s future must be decided by its people.”

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Putin Aide Proves Trump’s Greenland Threats Have Only Boosted Russia’s Ukraine Invasion

Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov has just compared Donald Trump’s bid to control Greenland to Vladimir Putin’s illegal annexation of Crimea.

Since seizing Venezuela and capturing its leader, the US president seems intent on taking full “control” of the semi-autonomous Arctic island of Greenland.

Trump appears unbothered that the land is part of the kingdom of Denmark – and therefore also part of Nato – or that Greenlanders themselves have said they do not want to become part of America.

The president claims Denmark is not protecting Greenland from potential China and Russia threats, so an American takeover is needed to protect “world peace”.

He has also not ruled out using military force to take the world’s largest island.

And, worryingly, Moscow seems rather thrilled at the chaos, especially as the president is putting Nato under strain.

In his annual press conference, Lavrov told reporters: “In Greenland there was no coup, but as President Trump said, this territory is important to the US.

“As Crimea is equally important for the security of Russia.”

Crimea is a Ukrainian peninsula which Russia illegally seized in 2014.

Many Ukrainians perceive that capture of Crimea as the real start of Russia’s ongoing invasion, and that the lack of western retaliation to that annexation emboldened Putin to invade mainland Ukraine in February 2022.

In an apparent endorsement of Trump’s aggression, Lavrov also claimed: “Greenland is not a natural part of Denmark.”

However, he added that Russia has no plans to get involved in the dispute – despite Trump’s claims that Moscow has its eyes on the territory.

“Nato is going through a period of challenges, and Russia is not interested in interfering in Greenland,” Putin’s top diplomat said.

“It was neither a natural part of Norway nor a natural part of Denmark. It is a colonial conquest. The fact that the inhabitants are now accustomed to it and feel comfortable is another matter.”

Trump’s tantrums have put a major strain on Nato – something the Kremlin has been trying to do for decades – which in turn weakens the defence alliance’s united approach to Ukraine.

Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev already welcomed the “collapse of the transatlantic union” this week, while former president Dmitri Medvedev suggested Europe is getting poorer.

He wrote on social media: “Make America Great Again (MAGA) = Make Denmark Small Again (MDSA) = Make Europe Poor Again (MEPA). Has this idea finally sunk in, dimwits?”

Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also said: “There are international experts who believe that by resolving the issue of Greenland’s incorporation, Trump will certainly go down in history. And not only in the history of the United States, but also in world history. It’s hard not to agree with these experts.”

Trump has even threatened to slap tariffs on imports from European allies who have so far opposed the idea of an American takeover.

EU leaders will meet to discuss how to respond at an emergency summit on Thursday, although the UK’s Keir Starmer has insisted Britain will not be looking at retaliatory tariffs and that he does not want to start a trade war.

Though Trump is putting 80 years of international diplomacy in jeopardy with his Greenland warnings, allies are nervous to draw too many red lines because his co-operation is needed for security guarantees with the Ukraine war.

The president himself has been pushing for a peace deal to end the Ukraine war – even if it means giving Putin even more of Ukraine’s sovereign land.

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Trump Doubles Down On Threat To Slap Tariffs On Europe Over Greenland

Donald Trump has doubled down on his threats to slap tariffs on Europe over Greenland – while also telling the continent to focus on the Ukraine war instead.

The US president announced on Saturday that he would charge a 10% import tax from February 1 on eight European countries – including the UK – because of their opposition to his plans to take control of the Arctic island.

They will be hiked to 25% from June 1 unless America has “control” of Greenland by then, he said.

Greenland is semi-autonomous and part of the kingdom of Denmark. Its government has repeatedly signalled that it does not want to become American.

Trump’s trade escalation has drawn criticism from European allies, with British prime minister Keir Starmer describing the threat as “wrong” and French president Emmanuel Macron urging the EU to use its strongest trade weapon in response.

At a Downing Street press conference on Monday, Keir Starmer said Trump’s tariff threat was “completely wrong”, but ruled out imposing retaliatory UK tariffs on American goods.

Speaking to NBC News over the phone on Monday, the US president insisted he was “100%” committed to his tariff plan.

In his first public comments since plunging the trans-Atlantic relationship into crisis, Trump said: “Europe ought to focus on the war with Russia and Ukraine, because frankly, you see what that’s gotten them.

“That’s what Europe should focus on – not Greenland.”

Trump’s Treasury secretary Scott Bessent also told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos that it would be “very unwise” for Europe to retaliate over the president’s threats.

He said: “I’ve been travelling so I haven’t been in touch [with European officials] but I spoke with president Trump and evidently there are a lot of inbounds, and I think everyone should take the president at his word.”

He said it was a “complete canard” – an unfounded rumour – to think Trump’s actions over Greenland are down to his failure to clinch the Nobel Peace Prize, even though the president said exactly that over the weekend.

In a message to the Norwegian prime minister Jonas GahrStøre on Sunday, Trump said: “Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace.”

“The World is not secure unless we have complete and total control of Greenland,” he added. “Denmark cannot protect that land from Russia or China, and why do they have a ‘right of ownership’ anyway?”

Støre later replied by reminding the US president that it is not the Norwegian government who chooses the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, but an independent committee.

But Trump told NBC News: “Norway totally controls it, despite what they say. They like to say they have nothing to do with it, but they have everything to do with it.”

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Norway’s PM Says He Had To Explain To Trump How The Nobel Peace Prize Works After Greenland Rant

Norway’s prime minister says he had to explain to Donald Trump how the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded after the US president wrongly blamed the government for not being given it.

Trump has held a grudge ever since Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado received the accolade last October.

In an extraordinary text message to Norwegian PM Jonas Gahr Støre, Trump said the snub was what pushed him to try and seize Greenland.

He said: “Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace.”

Norway is one of the eight European countries – including the UK – which Trump has threatened with tariffs for opposing his plan to take over Greenland, which has been part of the kingdom of Denmark for more than 300 years.

Responding to the president’s rant, Støre said: “Norway’s position on Greenland is clear. Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway fully supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter.”

He also said he had made it clear that it is an independent committee, rather than the Norwegian government, which decides who wins the Nobel Peace Prize.

“As regards the Nobel Peace Prize, I have clearly explained, including to president Trump what is well known, the prize is awarded by an independent Nobel Committee and not the Norwegian Government,” he said.

Nevertheless, Trump has doubled down on his comments in an interview with NBC News on Monday.

He said: “Norway totally controls it despite what they say. They like to say they have nothing to do with it, but they have everything to do with it.”

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Danish Prime Minister Warns Trump Over Greenland Threat: ‘Europe Will Not Be Blackmailed’

Donald Trump has been warned “Europe will not be blackmailed” after he announced plans to impose tariffs on the UK and seven other countries opposed to his plans to take over Greenland.

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said her country “is receiving great support” from across the continent in the wake of the US president’s threats.

Meanwhile, the countries being targeted by Trump warned in a joint-statement that his “tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral”.

Trump announced on Saturday that America will impose a 10% import tax imposed on Britain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland from February 1.

That charge will rise to 25% on June 1 and remain in place until “until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland” by America.

Greenland has been a self-governing part of the kingdom of Denmark for more than 300 years.

But Trump has said that Russia and China will try to seize the Arctic island unless America takes it over.

Keir Starmer has said the US president’s threats are “completely wrong”, while culture secretary Lisa Nandy said the UK’s backing for Greenland and Denmark was “non-negotiable”.

In a statement on Sunday, Mette Frederiksen said: “I am pleased with the consistent messages from the rest of the continent: Europe will not be blackmailed.

“At the same time, it is now even clearer that this is an issue that reaches far beyond our own borders.”

She added: “We want to co-operate, and it is not we who are seeking conflict.”

A joint-statement by the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland said they “are committed to strengthening Arctic security as a shared transatlantic interest”.

“We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland,” the statement said.

“Building on the process begun last week, we stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind.

“Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.

“We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our response.

“We are committed to upholding our sovereignty.”

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Trump Slaps Tariffs On UK And 7 Other European Countries Until US Controls Greenland

Donald Trump has slapped tariffs on the UK and seven other European countries until America controls Greenland.

In an extraordinary development, the US president said a 10% import tax will be imposed on Britain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland from February 1.

Hitting back on Ssturday evening, Keir Starmer said Trump’s actions were “completely wrong”.

Announcing the move on Truth Social, Trump said the charge will then be increased to 25% on June 1 and remain in place “until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland” by America.

Greenland has been part of the kingdom of Denmark for more than 300 years.

But Trump said: “World Peace is at stake! China and Russia want Greenland, and there is not a thing that Denmark can do about it. They currently have two dogsleds as protection, one added recently.

“Only the United States of America, under PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP, can play in this game, and very successfully, at that! Nobody will touch this sacred piece of Land, especially since the National Security of the United States, and the World at large, is at stake. On top of everything else, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland have journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown.”

Earlier this week, the UK announced it had sent a military officer to Greenland as Denmark stepped up its military presence in the Arctic and High North.

Trump went on: “This is a very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet. These Countries, who are playing this very dangerous game, have put a level of risk in play that is not tenable or sustainable.

“Therefore, it is imperative that, in order to protect Global Peace and Security, strong measures be taken so that this potentially perilous situation end quickly, and without question.”

The president added: “The United States of America is immediately open to negotiation with Denmark and/or any of these Countries that have put so much at risk, despite all that we have done for them, including maximum protection, over so many decades.”

Keir Starmer said: “Our position on Greenland is very clear – it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes.

“We have also made clear that Arctic Security matters for the whole of NATO and allies should all do more together to address the threat from Russia across different parts of the Arctic.

“Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong. We will of course be pursuing this directly with the US administration.”

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said it was “a terrible idea”.

She posted on X: “President Trump is completely wrong to announce tariffs on the UK over Greenland.

“People in both UK and US will face higher costs. These tariffs will be yet another burden for businesses across our country.

“The sovereignty of Greenland should only be decided by the people of Greenland. On this, I agree with Keir Starmer.”

Speaking on a visit to Westminster last week, Greenaldic Naaja Nathanielsen said the territory “felt betrayed” by Trump’s threats to take over the Arctic island.

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey branded Trump a “bully” and said the PM’s policy towards the US “lies n tatters”.

He wrote on X: “Starmer’s US policy lies in tatters. Trump is now punishing the UK and NATO allies just for doing the right thing.

“Time for the PM to stand firm against the bully in the White House, and work with European and Commonwealth allies to make him back down from this reckless plan.”

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Starmer’s US policy lies in tatters. Trump is now punishing the UK and NATO allies just for doing the right thing.

Time for the PM to stand firm against the bully in the White House, and work with European and Commonwealth allies to make him back down from this reckless plan. https://t.co/9O0IvLKGsQ

— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) January 17, 2026

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Time for the PM to stand firm against the bully in the White House, and work with European and Commonwealth allies to make him back down from this reckless plan. https://t.co/9O0IvLKGsQ— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) January 17, 2026\n\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","title":"Ed Davey on Twitter / 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Starmer’s US policy lies in tatters. Trump is now punishing the UK and NATO allies just for doing the right thing.

Time for the PM to stand firm against the bully in the White House, and work with European and Commonwealth allies to make him back down from this reckless plan. https://t.co/9O0IvLKGsQ

— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) January 17, 2026

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