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European officials appeared relieved by US President Donald Trump’s promise Wednesday to not invade Greenland — but they remain wary over his persistent demands to acquire the autonomous island.
During his Davos speech, Trump said he was seeking “immediate negotiations” to acquire Greenland, but pledged not to use force to seize it.
Denmark’s foreign minister said that while Trump’s comments were “positive in isolation,” Copenhagen was not willing to compromise on giving up the Danish dependent territory.
Some of Trump’s remarks on Denmark — specifically his suggestion that the country wouldn’t come to the US’ aid in a conflict — may come across as “frankly insulting” to Danes, a BBC editor wrote, adding that even though his words “may sound like a limited form of climbdown… many Danes will remain unimpressed.”
On the ground in Davos, officials felt Trump’s speech “could have been much worse,” even though he made it clear he wants to buy Greenland, a Euronews correspondent reported.
One Swiss official said: “If the president of the leading NATO country has to say he will not use force against another NATO country, and the world is relieved about that, that shows how crazy things are going now.”
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Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who attended the speech and is seen as a possible 2028 presidential candidate, called Trump’s remarks “remarkably insignificant.”
“He was never going to invade Greenland. It was never real,” he told CNN.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said Trump was “extremely convincing” and “made the best case ever for strategic need for U.S. ownership of Greenland.”