Former US President Donald Trump has said he would not resort to military force to acquire Greenland, while urging what he described as “immediate negotiations” on the issue.
Trump made the remarks while addressing global leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, in an apparent effort to calm concerns in Europe following earlier comments in which he said he would not rule out the use of force.
Referring to those earlier statements, Trump said his clarification was significant because many people believed he was prepared to act militarily.
“I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I will not use force,” he said. “All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland.”
During the speech, Trump also criticised NATO, claiming the United States contributes far more than it receives in return.
“We give so much, and we get so little,” he said, adding that the US ends up with “loss, disruption, and massive amounts of money given to people who don’t appreciate what we do.” He noted that his comments applied both to NATO and to Europe more broadly.
Trump singled out NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who was in the audience and had earlier praised Trump’s push for increased defence spending among alliance members.
Although Trump again repeated his interest in acquiring Greenland, he stressed that force was not an option, despite suggesting that the US would be “unstoppable” if it chose to act otherwise.
He further argued that the United States has gained little from NATO beyond protecting Europe from Russia.
Commenting on the speech, Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, said there was little new in Trump’s address to Davos, aside from the explicit pledge not to use force against Greenland—something he noted “was never really on the table” in the first place.