(AFP) – US President Donald Trump has announced a framework for a permanent deal over Greenland, backing off his threat to seize the territory from Denmark — but offered no details. The U-turn came after weeks of belligerent rhetoric and a vow to slap tariffs on eight European countries starting February 1 unless the autonomous territory was ceded to the United States.
After talks with NATO chief Mark Rutte in Davos, Trump withdrew his tariff threat and pointed to a “future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region.” Here is what we know about the two men’s meeting and the purported framework:
– **Defence pact review** – The US president insisted the deal gave Washington “everything we wanted” and will be in force “forever,” but both Rutte and Trump gave scant details on what was agreed. A source familiar with the talks told AFP that the United States and Denmark will renegotiate a 1951 defence pact on Greenland. The decades-old agreement, updated in 2004, already essentially gives Washington carte blanche to ramp up its troop deployments provided it informs the authorities in Denmark and Greenland in advance. The United States currently has one base on Greenland — the Pituffik Space Base on the northwest of the island that constitutes a crucial link in the US missile defence system.
– **Keeping Russia, China ‘out’** – Rutte said one “work stream” to emerge was how NATO allies — including its seven members in the Arctic — can “collectively make sure that the Arctic stays safe, that the Russians and the Chinese stay out.” He discussed with Trump how to “ensure that the Chinese and the Russians will not gain access to the Greenland economy,” or militarily. Some European nations have pushed for NATO to launch a mission in the Arctic to shore up security in the region after Trump used security concerns to justify his desire for Greenland.
– **What about sovereignty?** – The source close to the talks pushed back at suggestions that American military bases on Greenland could be placed under US sovereignty, insisting that “did not come up” between Rutte and Trump. Rutte likewise said he did not discuss the issue of Danish sovereignty over Greenland with Trump. That message was reinforced by Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who said she spoke with Rutte before and after his meeting. “The position of Denmark and that of Greenland are the same, and no negotiations were held yesterday with NATO about our sovereignty,” Frederiksen told Danish television.
© 2024 AFP
