Trump rules out using force to take over Greenland, calls for negotiations

The US president used his speech at Davos to call for talks over his demands to annex Greenland.

United States President Donald Trump has ruled out using force to take control of Greenland, but called for talks on his demands to take over the island.

In a highly anticipated speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday, Trump insisted that the annexation of the autonomous Danish territory is crucial to US national security, despite widespread rejection of his demands from Greenlanders and European leaders.

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“People thought I would use force. I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force,” he said.

The US president said he was “seeking immediate negotiations to once again discuss the acquisition of Greenland by the United States”, adding that Denmark had to make a “choice”.

“You can say ‘yes’, and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say ‘no’, and we will remember. A strong and secure America means a strong NATO.”

Trump claimed that the US alone is able to “protect this giant mass of land, this giant piece of ice”, referring to the Arctic island.

On several occasions during his more than an hour-long speech, Trump appeared to mistakenly refer to Greenland as Iceland.

Christine Nissen, chief analyst at the Europa think tank, told Al Jazeera that Trump’s claim that he would not use force could be seen by Denmark as a possible de-escalation.

“We have seen how European countries and Denmark, as such, are changing their strategies towards Trump over the Greenland issue. We’ve had a very cautious Europe and Denmark given our very deep and structural dependence on the US, but now we see a change in strategy,” Nissen said.

She added that the rift between Europe and the US over Greenland had led to a “fairly united Europe, but only time will tell whether that will hold.”

European leaders, including the UK, France and Denmark, have remained united in defending Greenland’s status, despite Trump’s earlier threats that he could impose tariffs on European countries over the dispute.