DAVOS, Switzerland — US President Donald Trump has said that he still wanted the United States to control Greenland but would not use military force to seize the semi-autonomous Danish territory, urging what he described as “immediate negotiations” with Denmark.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, Mr Trump reiterated his demand for U.S. control of the Arctic territory while framing the next steps as diplomatic rather than coercive.
Denmark’s foreign minister responded that Copenhagen would not enter talks on terms that undercut core principles.
“We will not enter into any negotiations on the basis of giving up fundamental principles,” he told reporters in Copenhagen.
Later, in a Truth Social post, Mr Trump said “additional discussions” on Greenland would be led by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Mr Trump’s special envoy for peace, Steve Witkoff.
The same officials are also engaged in discussions involving Ukraine and Russia and are handling other major foreign policy issues.
Mr Rubio is serving simultaneously as interim national security adviser and acting national archivist, in addition to leading the State Department.
Europe Pauses Trade Response After Announcement
The Danish government welcomed Mr. Trump’s statement.
“The day is ending on a better note than it began,” Denmark’s foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, said. “We welcome that President Trump has ruled out to take Greenland by force and paused the trade war with Europe.”
“Now, let’s sit down and find out how we can address the American security concerns in the Arctic while respecting the red lines of the Kingdom of Denmark,” Mr. Rasmussen added.
Hours before Mr. Trump’s announcement, the European Union’s parliament halted final approval of a major trade deal he reached with the bloc last summer.
European leaders were also scheduled to meet on Thursday for an emergency summit to coordinate a response to Trump’s earlier threats.
Separately, NBC News reported that talks involving senior NATO military officers had taken place in Brussels, citing The New York Times and three senior Western officials familiar with the discussions.
Asked about that report, NATO’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, stressed that he had not proposed any compromise involving sovereignty during his meeting with Mr. Trump in Davos on Wednesday.
