U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he would not proceed with 10 percent tariffs previously threatened against eight European countries, asserting that he had secured what he wanted through negotiations with NATO over Greenland and wider Arctic security arrangements.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the tariffs, which had been due to take effect on Feb. 1, would be shelved following what he described as an agreement with the alliance following talks with Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
“Based on this agreement, I will not impose the tariffs that were scheduled to take effect on Feb. 1,” Trump wrote, adding that the deal concerned “a future agreement concerning Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic region.”
He said further talks were continuing on what he called the “Golden Dome” project related to Greenland, promising that “more information will be shared as the discussions progress.” Trump described the arrangement as “long-term” and said it “gives us everything we wanted,” adding that it would last “forever.”
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told public broadcaster DR, “Trump says he is putting the trade war on hold, says ‘I’m not going to attack Greenland.’ These are positive messages.”
Rutte’s spokeswoman said the NATO boss and Trump had a “very productive discussion,” and confirmed that negotiations between Denmark, Greenland, and the United States would continue. The aim of the talks, she said, was to ensure that Russia and China are never able to establish an economic or military presence on the island.
Trump had earlier addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday, where he again raised the issue of Greenland and dismissed speculation that the United States would use military force to secure its objectives. “We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be, frankly, unstoppable. But I won’t do that. Okay?” he said. “Now everyone is saying, ‘Oh good.’ That’s probably the biggest statement I’ve made because people thought I would use force, but I don’t have to use force, I don’t want to use force, I won’t use force.”
Following the speech, Trump said he had reached a deal in principle with Rutte that he considered acceptable, and later told reporters that his remarks had been well received.
“It was a good speech. We got great reviews. I can’t believe it. We got good reviews, and usually when you give a speech like that, they say, ‘He’s a terrible dictator.’ I’m a dictator. But sometimes you need a dictator. But in this case, they didn’t say that. And now it’s common sense. It’s all common sense,” he told journalists.
The White House subsequently confirmed that the administration would not impose tariffs on several European nations that had opposed Trump’s claims to Greenland.
At Davos, Trump framed U.S. demands as a matter of historical obligation, telling delegates: “We paid for NATO for many years, defended Europe from the USSR, from Russia. The only thing I ask for now is Greenland. Give us property rights. It cannot be protected by a lease. It is a small request, considering what we have given Europe for decades. You can say yes, and we will be grateful. You can say no, and we will remember it.”
Trump said discussions on a missile defense system linked to Greenland were part of the ongoing negotiations, which he said would be led by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
JUST IN: Trump speaks at the WEF:
"Certain places in Europe are not even recognizable, frankly, anymore…. We can argue about it, but there's no argument,"
"I love Europe, and I want to see Europe go good, but it's not heading in the right direction." pic.twitter.com/kBgLKwZPOc
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) January 21, 2026He also used his Davos appearance to criticize the direction of Europe, saying, “Certain places in Europe are not even recognizable, frankly, anymore…. We can argue about it, but there’s no argument.”
“I love Europe, and I want to see Europe go good, but it’s not heading in the right direction,” he added.
