TRUMP SCRAPS TARIFF THREAT AND CLAIMS ‘FRAMEWORK OF A FUTURE DEAL’ ON GREENLAND – LIVE
By Guardian - Robert Mackey/Shrai Popat/Maya Yang/Joe Coughlan - Wed 21 Jan 2026 21.29 GMT
Trump walks back Greenland tariffs threat, citing vague ‘deal’ over territory.US president touts ‘very productive meeting’ with Nato chief Mark Rutte, drops tariffs on European allies and adds deal will involve ‘Golden Dome’ and ‘mineral rights’
Trump says he has formed 'framework' of Greenland deal after meeting with Nato chief
Following a “very productive meeting” with Nato’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, Donald Trump said that the pair have “formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region”.
The president added that if the deal is accomplished he will not impose the tariffs that were set to take effect in February on several allied countries that opposed the administration’s demands to annex Greenland.
“Additional discussions are being held concerning The Golden Dome as it pertains to Greenland,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “Further information will be made available as discussions progress.”
He noted that vice-president JD Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff will all be part of ongoing negotiations, and will report to Trump.
Trump says 'deal' over Greenland is 'really fantastic for the USA'
Video posted online by the Danish state broadcaster DR shows more of what Donald Trump told reporters about the “deal” over Greenland he says he made with the Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, who has no say over the sovereignty of the Danish territory. His vague remarks suggested that the proposed agreement might be closer to the “concepts of a plan” for a comprehensive US healthcare policy he promised in the 2024 campaign than a settled deal.
“It’s a deal that people jumped at, uh, really fantastic for the USA'; gets everything we wanted, including especially real national security, and international security,” Trump said.
Asked “how so?” the US president said, “Well, the deal is going to be put out pretty soon, and we will see. It’s right now a little bit in progress, but pretty far along. It gets us everything that we needed to get.”
Giving a sense of the confusion at the heart of the situation, Trump went on to say that Rutte, “was representing the other side, which is really us too, because we’re you know a very important member of Nato… and it’s really nice, I mean it’s a deal that everybody’s very happy with.”
Pressed to say if the agreement gave the uS ownership of Greenland, as he has demanded, Trump paused for a while before saying: “Um… it’s a long-term deal. It’’s the ultimate long-term deal.”
'It's the ultimate long-term deal,' Trump says of Nato 'framework' on Greenland
In response to a question from CNN at Davos today, the president said that his newly announced “framework of a future deal” on Greenland is “the ultimate long term deal”.
“I think it puts everyone in a really good position,” Trump said. “Especially as it pertains to security and minerals and everything else.”
When asked how long the deal is expected to last, the president said: “Infinite.”
21.29 GMT
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Sweden’s foreign minister, Maria Stenergard, said today that it was “good” that Donald Trump backed away from tariffs against Nato members “who have supported Denmark and Greenland”.
“The demands for relocated borders have received well-deserved harsh criticism,” she said in a statement. “That is also why we have repeatedly stated that we will not let ourselves be blackmailed. It seems that our work together with allies has had an effect.”
Trump says Greenland deal involves 'Golden Dome' and 'mineral rights' for US
The president hasn’t released any information about the “framework” of a future deal on Greenland that he announced on social media. However, in an interview with CNBC, he said that a deal would include Nato’s involvement on his sought-after missile defense system known as the “Golden Dome”, and well as “mineral rights” for the US.
When interviewer Joe Kernen asked how long the deal would last, Trump replied: “For ever.” But he reiterated that he doesn’t intend to use force to achieve his goal.
21.02 GMT
Markets rebound as Trump calls off tariffs on European allies over Greenland
Stocks jumped on Wednesday, soon after the president announced that he would scrap tariffs on European allies after establishing the “framework of a future deal” on Greenland.
The Dow Jones industrial average leapt by more than 700 points, or 1.6%. The S&P 500 jumped 1.5%, and the Nasdaq surged 1.7%, by almost 400 points.
Trump says he has formed 'framework' of Greenland deal after meeting with Nato chief
Following a “very productive meeting” with Nato’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, Donald Trump said that the pair have “formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region”.
The president added that if the deal is accomplished he will not impose the tariffs that were set to take effect in February on several allied countries that opposed the administration’s demands to annex Greenland.
“Additional discussions are being held concerning The Golden Dome as it pertains to Greenland,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “Further information will be made available as discussions progress.”
He noted that vice-president JD Vance, secretary of state Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff will all be part of ongoing negotiations, and will report to Trump.
Per my colleague Lauren Gambino’s earlier post, the White House has responded to the news that Gavin Newsom’s appearance at a “fireside chat” at Davos was cancelled by the event’s sponsor.
“No one in Davos knows who third-rate governor Newscum is or why he is frolicking around Switzerland instead of fixing the many problems he created in California,” said spokesperson Anna Kelly.
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