Roundup: Concerns about U.S. armed seizure of Greenland ease, transatlantic rifts remain

BEIJING, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- A freewheeling speech by U.S. President Donald Trump in the Swiss Alpine town of Davos on Wednesday stunned the audience, putting transatlantic rifts under the spotlight, despite eased concerns about a possible U.S. armed seizure of Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark.

CONCERNS EASE

In his speech, Trump ruled out taking Greenland by military force, saying he did not intend to use "excessive strength and force," while insisting the United States was uniquely positioned to secure the territory.

"I don't have to use force. I don't want to use force, I won't use force. All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland," he said.

Trump called for "immediate negotiations" on a U.S. acquisition of the territory, describing it as "a strategic national and international security interest."

"His comments marked a strategic shift and a walkback for the White House," CNN said Wednesday in an analysis. "Trump's walkback notably comes after we saw something pretty unusual on Tuesday: foreign leaders standing up to him and talking about banding together to resist the United States."

"His pledge, if he sticks to it, makes much more unlikely the previously unthinkable prospect of the United States effectively invading a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) ally," the analysis added.

Trump also announced on Wednesday his decision not to follow through on his threat to impose new tariffs on eight European countries over Greenland following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. In a social media post, Trump said a framework had emerged from a "very productive meeting" with Rutte. "Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on Feb. 1," Trump wrote.

While the concern is eased "at least for now," the CNN analysis warned, "the clash is hardly over."

Trump told Fox Business on Thursday morning that the United States will get everything it wants, in relation to Greenland, "at no cost," adding that a part of the Golden Dome missile defense system will be on the island.

Speaking at a press conference in Davos, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that while he welcomed Trump's public statement ruling out military force over Greenland, he remained disappointed by the overall tone and substance of the remarks.

"He continued with rhetoric that was both threatening and scornful towards Denmark, Greenland, Canada and several European countries," Kristersson said.

RIFTS REMAIN

Trump's Greenland-related tariff threats angered the Europeans, with European Council President Antonio Costa saying on Wednesday that the European Union (EU) will defend itself against any form of coercion.

"We stand ready to defend ourselves, our member states, our citizens, our companies, against any form of coercion. The EU has the power and the tools to do so," Costa said in a speech at the European Parliament.

"We cannot accept that the law of the strongest prevails over the rights of the weakest," Costa said, adding that "international rules are not optional, and alliances cannot just boil down to a sequence of transactions."

The European Parliament on Wednesday decided to put on hold approval of an EU-U.S. trade deal reached in July 2025 in response to U.S. tariff threats.

In Davos, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the EU "should not hesitate" to deploy its anti-coercion mechanism in response to the U.S. tariff threats linked to Greenland.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also expressed strong support for Greenland and Denmark and opposition to tariffs proposed by the United States.

Canada is a founding NATO member and Washington's key partner in the North American Aerospace Defense Command. Ironically, the Canadian Armed Forces have developed a conceptual model responding to a hypothetical military invasion by the United States, local media reported on Tuesday.

Two senior government officials were cited as saying that it is the first time in a century that Canada's military has created a model of an American assault.■