The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has positioned the World Economic Forum in Davos as the stage in which to address the future of Greenland, in a context of growing diplomatic tension with several European countries and repeated statements about the need for Washington to take control of the Arctic territory for reasons of global security.
Trump claimed this week to have had a “very good” telephone conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, focused precisely on Greenland. In addition, he confirmed that he has agreed to hold a meeting in Davos with “several parties” without specifying who would participate in that meeting. The meeting between world leaders in Switzerland began this Monday, January 19, and will continue until Friday, the 23rd.
In a message broadcast on his social network Truth Social, the president stressed that “Greenland is essential for national and global security” and warned that “there can be no going back” on this approach, ensuring that there is a broad consensus on the matter.
Hours earlier, Trump had already indicated to journalists that the United States would openly raise the possibility of acquiring Greenland in Davos, considering that Denmark “cannot protect the territory.” “We have to have it. They have to do it. They can’t protect it,” he said from Florida, praising Denmark as a country but questioning its real ability to control the island.
Trump considers that he should no longer “think purely about peace” after not receiving the Nobel Prize
American pressure has also extended to the European political sphere. The Government of Norway has confirmed that Trump conveyed his displeasure at not having received the Nobel Peace Prize to Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, directly linking that frustration to his current position on Greenland. In a message broadcast by Oslo and to which Europa Press has had access, Trump maintained that, since Norway did not grant him the award “for having stopped eight wars or more,” he no longer feels obliged to “think purely about peace,” but rather about “what is good and right for the United States.”
In that same message, the US president insisted that Denmark “cannot protect Greenland from Russia or China” and even questioned the historical legitimacy of Danish sovereignty over the territory. “Why do they even have the right to own it? There are no written documents, it is simply the fact that a ship arrived hundreds of years ago,” he stated, emphasizing that the United States also maintains a naval presence in the area.
Trump went further, arguing that “the world is not safe unless we have complete control of Greenland,” directly appealing to NATO to support American interests after what he described as its decisive contribution to the Alliance since its founding.
The world is not safe unless we have complete control of Greenland
For his part, Støre explained that Trump’s message was a response to a short text sent jointly by Norway and Finland, in which both countries expressed their opposition to the measures adopted by Washington against eight European states for rejecting the annexation plans for Greenland. In that communication, the Nordic leaders urged to reduce tension and proposed holding a direct conversation with the American president, jointly or separately.
The Norwegian Prime Minister reiterated that Oslo’s position on Greenland is “clear” and defended that NATO must act responsibly to reinforce security and stability in the Arctic. He also reminded Trump that the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by an independent committee and not the Norwegian Government. However, Trump himself later insisted again that Norway “has everything to do” with the Nobel, despite his official denials.
