Trump announces “framework” of agreement with NATO on Greenland and suspends European tariffs

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced this Wednesday in Davos that the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have advanced in defining a “framework” of agreement on Greenland and the entire Arctic region, stating that this has made it possible to suspend the threat of tariffs on Europe that had been articulated in recent days. Trump stated that, after a meeting with the secretary general of the military alliance, Mark Rutte, a preliminary understanding was formed that could evolve into a future agreement on the strategic presence on the island that is now Danish territory.

The American president did not provide details about the terms of this understanding, but described the conversation with Rutte as “very productive” and suggested that the agreement, if materialized, would be beneficial for both the United States and the other NATO members. In a post on social media, he stated that, based on this understanding, he decided not to impose the tariffs scheduled to take effect on February 1 against European countries that oppose his proposal to acquire Greenland, such as Denmark, France and Germany.

The suspension of the tariff threat represents a change of tone after weeks of American pressure and diplomatic tensions with European allies, who reacted with criticism and retaliatory measures, including halting the ratification of a trade agreement between the European Union and the United States. European parliamentarians and NATO leaders had viewed Trump’s threats as coercive, expressing concern about the stability of the alliance and Greenland’s sovereignty.

Trump also stated that additional discussions are ongoing about what he called “Golden Dome”, an anti-missile defense project that he intends to develop, with the participation of the United States in the Arctic region, and that the negotiations would be led by senior representatives of his administration, including the vice president and the secretary of State.

NATO and Danish officials, however, denied that Greenland’s sovereignty was subject to negotiation and emphasized that there were no formal concessions on ownership of the territory. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has stated that there have been no negotiations with NATO on sovereignty and that Greenland is not for sale.

Analysts point out that Trump’s announcement seeks to ease accumulated tensions with European allies after his previous statements about the possibility of acquiring the island and the imposition of 10% tariffs — which could rise to 25% in June — if there was no agreement. The crisis has raised concerns about the political and military cohesion of the transatlantic alliance and about the future of relations between the United States and its partners in Europe.

The vagueness regarding the content of the “agreement” and the absence of concrete commitments make the implementation of any change in management or presence in Greenland uncertain.