‘I won’t use force’ for Greenland: Key takeaways from Trump’s Davos speech

United States President Donald Trump has said he would not take over Greenland by ​force, but he stuck firmly to his demand for control over the Danish territory during a speech in Davos, Switzerland. He also hinted at consequences if his ambitions were thwarted.

“People thought I ‌would use force, but I don’t have to use force,” Trump said at the World Economic Forum annual meeting.
He announced afterwards on his Truth Social platform that he had arrived at a “framework of a future deal” with respect to claiming Greenland, after meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

The details of that framework remain unknown, but Trump agreed to lift the tariffs he had threatened to slap on European allies starting February 1.

Here are the key takeaways from his Davos speech:

‘Would you like me to say a few words on Greenland?’
Trump opened his remarks about Greenland with an attempt at humour.

“I was going to leave it out of the speech, but I think I would have been reviewed very negatively,” he quipped.

After a lengthy critique of Denmark, which he claimed was too weak to protect Greenland, Trump repeated his key position on the territory.

“We need it for strategic national security and international security. This enormous, unsecured island is actually part of North America. That’s our territory,” he said.
“I’m seeking immediate negotiations to once again to discuss the acquisition of Greenland by the United States,” Trump said.

He proceeded to describe the NATO alliance as a money sink for the US, one that failed to offer the country any benefits.

“We never asked for anything, and we never got anything,” Trump said.

The president’s remarks failed to acknowledge NATO’s assistance after the attacks on September 11, 2001, when the US invoked the alliance’s collective defence clause and member states sent military air defence in response.

Still, Trump continued to portray NATO as a moot investment, one that would not yield benefits unless forced.

“We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won’t do that,” he said.

“That’s probably the biggest statement I made because people thought I would use force. I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.”

Earlier this month, White House officials said Trump was considering “a range of options” for acquiring Greenland, including military action. At Davos, Trump again issued a warning to Denmark, setting an ultimatum to hand over Greenland.

“We’ve never asked for anything else. And we could have kept that piece of land, and we didn’t. So they have a choice. You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no, and we will remember,” he said.

Hours later, the US president announced the “framework” for a Greenland deal, though it is unclear to what extent Denmark or Greenland had input or what the deal might look like.

Rutte later told Fox News that the issue of Greenland’s sovereignty did not come up in their conversation.