Donald Trump has delivered an ominous new message on Greenland as he heads into crunch, face-to-face talks with European leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Asked at the White House how far he would go to wrest control of the Arctic island, the US president refused to rule out military force and replied: “You’ll find out.”
Trump is due to address leaders in Switzerland amid the most severe transatlantic tensions in years, fuelled by his insistence that the United States “needs” Greenland for national security and “world security”.
The Davos appearance offers the prospect of direct discussions with allies who have publicly rejected any US takeover of Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Trump has framed the issue as a strategic necessity, while Denmark, Greenland and European leaders have argued Greenland’s future is for Greenlanders to decide.
🧊 “You’ll find out”: Trump refuses to rule out force
Trump’s remarks came during a lengthy White House news conference marking a year since he took office. Pressed on whether seizing Greenland could endanger NATO unity, he doubled down, claiming the US requires the island and insisting he expects a deal that leaves “NATO… very happy”.
He also claimed European leaders “get a little bit rough” when he is not around, but “treat me very nicely” when he is present – a line likely to land badly in capitals already bristling at his threats.
Trump’s trip to Davos was disrupted overnight by what the White House described as a minor electrical issue aboard Air Force One, forcing an early return to Washington before he boarded another aircraft.
🧾 Tariffs as leverage: a trade threat tied to Greenland
The Greenland dispute has escalated beyond rhetoric into explicit economic pressure.
Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on a group of European countries – including the UK – unless a deal is reached for what he calls the “complete and total purchase” of Greenland, outlining 10% tariffs from 1 February and a rise to 25% from 1 June.
European leaders have described the strategy as coercive, warning it risks spiralling into a trade confrontation that damages both sides’ economies. Reports have also suggested the EU is weighing retaliatory options, including the bloc’s anti-coercion mechanism sometimes dubbed the “trade bazooka”.
🧭 Why Greenland matters: geography, bases and the Arctic chessboard
Greenland’s strategic value is real – which is why Trump’s approach alarms allies.
The island sits between the Arctic and North Atlantic, along key routes linking North America and Europe, and hosts a long-standing US military presence at Pituffik Space Base. Its location is tied to missile early-warning and Arctic navigation concerns as melting ice opens new routes and competition intensifies.
Greenland is also rich in critical minerals that are increasingly central to global supply chains, though extraction is politically and environmentally contentious.
That strategic reality is precisely why European leaders argue this cannot become a “might makes right” contest – and why the NATO dimension is so volatile if a US president keeps hinting he may simply take what he wants.
🇬🇧 The UK’s position: military reassurance, diplomatic tightrope
The UK is now trying to reinforce Arctic security while avoiding a direct rupture with Washington.
British defence secretary John Healey is travelling to Copenhagen to meet Denmark’s defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen, saying the UK will continue working with allies to secure NATO’s northern flank in the Baltic and High North.
Downing Street has publicly backed Denmark and Greenland’s sovereignty and warned against a trade war, while still betting that the crisis can be cooled through direct engagement rather than immediate retaliation.
🌍 Europe pushes back in Davos, but fears a misstep
In Davos, leaders including France’s Emmanuel Macron and Canada’s Mark Carney have used speeches to defend Denmark and Greenland and to warn against intimidation. European countries have also contributed to a reconnaissance mission in Greenland – which Trump has portrayed as provocation rather than deterrence.
Across Denmark and Greenland, protests have erupted against Trump’s takeover push, underscoring how politically toxic any “deal” would be if it looks like Greenland was bullied into it.
Meanwhile, US public support appears limited: a Reuters/Ipsos poll cited in reporting found fewer than one in five Americans support acquiring Greenland.
🎙️ The bigger picture: rhetoric vs reality, and a NATO stress test
Trump’s defenders say this is negotiating theatre – pressure tactics to secure greater basing rights, investment, or Arctic security concessions.
But European leaders hear something sharper: a US president openly treating allied territory as a bargaining chip, then threatening tariffs to enforce compliance. If Trump continues to frame NATO partners as obstacles to be punished, not allies to be consulted, the consequences will be structural – not a passing diplomatic storm.
Sky News’s Mark Stone noted the president’s performance was “extraordinary” even by his standards, with policy claims and achievements “lost behind the ramble”. Yet the Greenland line isn’t ramble – it’s strategy, and Europe is being forced to respond to it in real time.
Related: Gavin Newsom accuses Europe of rolling over for Trump
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