Trump rules out military force to acquire Greenland

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would not use force in his bid to gain control of Greenland during an address to the World Economic Forum in Davos, but insisted that no other country could adequately secure the autonomous Danish territory.

“We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be unstoppable. But I won’t do that,” Trump said. “I don’t want to have to use force. All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland, where we already had it but respectfully returned it to Denmark after we defeated the Germans, the Japanese, and the Italians in World War II. We were a powerful force then, but we are much more powerful now.”

Trump arrived in Switzerland amid rising transatlantic tensions over his push to acquire Greenland and threats of new tariffs on European allies. In his speech, he said Europe was “going in the wrong direction,” called Denmark ungrateful, and argued that transferring Greenland to the United States would not undermine NATO, despite Denmark being a member.

Trump claimed no nation or group of nations other than the United States could secure Greenland and said he wanted immediate negotiations on its acquisition. The roughly 75-minute speech also included several misstatements, including referring to Greenland as Iceland multiple times, and a lengthy rant criticizing European policies on issues ranging from immigration to energy, including wind turbines.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said the most important aspect of Trump’s remarks was his stance on the use of force.

“He sent an important message: that he wants to buy Greenland from Denmark and insists on it using arguments we’ve all heard before. If the offer is rejected, he said he would not use force,” Plenković said.

Plenković added that once tensions over Greenland ease, attention will likely return to Ukraine.

“He’s trying to position himself as a peacemaker president. He keeps saying he ended eight wars and wants to end Russia’s aggression against Ukraine by reaching a peace deal through talks with both presidents,” Plenković said. “He wants to stop the killing, and says the data on casualties makes this a priority.”

Plenković concluded that Trump is seeking to resolve several global issues that previous U.S. presidents have failed to address, viewing them primarily through the lens of American national security — an approach he said will continue to shape U.S.-European relations.