In a whiplash-inducing U-turn, US President Donald Trump suddenly dropped his insistence on taking control of Greenland, hours after laying out at great length his rationale for ownership of the Arctic Island.
CBC News reports that Trump had stuck to a take-it-or-leave-it position on Greenland. He insisted that nothing short of the US owning the Danish territory would address his national security concerns.
The president posted on social media that he “had formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, with the entire Arctic Region” as a result of a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
The few specifics emerging from the “framework” do not include D over to ark’s handing Greenland over to the US.
He also wrote that he won’t impose the tariffs he had previously threatened to levy on Denmark and seven other European NATO allies who backed its refusal to give up Greenland by sending small contingents of troops to the Arctic island.
Trump’s capitulation on US ownership followed his declaration during the Davos speech that he would not use military force to take control over Greenland.
Anders Vistisen, a Danish member of the European Parliament, says after ruling out military action, Trump’s remaining arguments for US control were exposed as weak.
“All that’s left is false rhetoric and basically a lot of lies about the Arctic area and Greenland,” Vistisen said.
He added that Trump “could not deliver on why he should have Greenland and what he needs it for.”
Henri-Paul Normandin, a former Canadian diplomat, says Trump must have realized Europe’s resolve in opposing his ambition for Greenland and was left looking for a way to claim some sort of victory.
A catalogue of grievances about NATO seemed to underpin much of Trump’s demand for control of Greenland.
He said, “The United States is treated very unfairly by NATO.”
