President Donald Trump said Jan. 21 that his administration has reached a framework agreement with NATO on the future of Greenland, prompting him to drop tariffs that were set to take effect in February.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said he had reached an understanding with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. 

“Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region,” Trump wrote. “This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations.”

He added, “Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st.” 

As CatholicVote previously reported, Trump said Jan. 17 that he would implement a 10% tariff on eight NATO countries unless an agreement was reached on Greenland, with the tariff rising to 25% by June 1. Trump’s economic threat and broader push to acquire Greenland drew criticism from European allies and became a flashpoint at Davos, fueling concerns about a strain on transatlantic relations. 

Trump said in his post that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and others will oversee additional talks on Greenland and related Arctic issues, including the “Golden Dome” missile defense system the President has linked to U.S. control of the island.

Speaking to reporters later in the day, Trump called the framework “a great deal for everybody” and said it “gets us everything we wanted,” AP News reported. Asked how long the agreement would last, he said “forever” and described it as “an infinite deal.”

Trump presses Greenland case in Davos speech

The announcement followed Trump’s earlier address at the forum, where he again argued that U.S. control of Greenland — an autonomous territory governed by Denmark — is necessary for national and global security. 

“Greenland is a vast, almost entirely uninhabited and undeveloped territory, sitting undefended in a key strategic location between the United States, Russia, and China,” Trump told attendees, later adding, “We need it for strategic national security and international security.” 

Citing World War II as a historical example of U.S. involvement in the region, Trump noted that the U.S. deployed forces to Greenland after Denmark fell to Nazi Germany in 1940, before returning the territory after the war, which he criticized as a “stupid” decision. 

He assured the audience that the U.S. would not use military force to acquire the island, saying, “I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force. All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland.”

Trump said he has “tremendous respect” for the people of Greenland and Denmark and argued that existing security arrangements are inadequate. “[No] nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland, other than the United States,” he said.

He also dismissed accusations that his desire for Greenland is motivated by potential economic gains, such as access to natural resources, saying the proposal is driven solely by security concerns and would ultimately strengthen NATO.