US seeks ‘immediate negotiations’ over Greenland, Trump tells Davos

The US is “seeking immediate negotiations” to acquire Greenland, where Washington plans to build a “Golden Dome” to protect it from potential enemies, US President Donald Trump said in his special address to the world’s top political and business summit in Davos Wednesday.

“I have tremendous respect for the people of Greenland and the people of Denmark,” Trump said as he broached the subject of the Arctic island territory, which he dubbed a “big, beautiful piece of ice”.

His proposed multilayer missile defence system, Trump said, the Golden Dome would defend the US from Russian and Chinese ICBMs and other weapons, which he said could otherwise “discombobulate” everything.

“No nation or group of nations is better positioned to defend Greenland than the United States,” he added.

The US president said the proof could be seen in “World War II, when Denmark fell to Germany in just six hours of fighting.”

“The US was then compelled … to send our forces to hold Greenland territory, at great cost and expense,” he added.

After the war, “which we won, we won it big,” Trump said — otherwise, “you’d all be speaking German and Japanese, perhaps,” he quipped — the US returned control of the island to Denmark. “How stupid were we. We gave it back. But how ungrateful are they now.”

The US has more than 100 permanently stationed personnel in Greenland and can bring in additional forces under existing treaties, including the 1951 US–Denmark Defence Agreement — which has since been updated — and the NATO collective security framework.

Addressing US allies, Trump emphasised that Washington’s desire to purchase Greenland is not a threat to NATO, which he criticised by saying “(the US) give so much and we get so little in return.”

“What we got out of NATO is — nothing,” after funding 100% of it, he said. “And what we’re asking in return is a place called Greenland.”

The US would refrain from acquiring it by force, Trump repeated.

“We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be, frankly, unstoppable,” Trump said. “But I won’t do that. Okay. Now everyone says, oh, good.”

“That’s probably the biggest statement I made, because 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,” Trump said.

“You can say yes, and we’ll be very appreciative, or you can say no and we will remember.”

‘I love Europe, I want to see it do good’

Trump opened his speech at the World Economic Forum by stating he was glad to be back in the Swiss Alps resort town to address “many respected business leaders, so many friends, a few enemies.”

He went on to laud the success of his administration in an economics-heavy first part of his speech, stating that “just one year ago under the radical left Democrats we were a dead country.” “The economy is booming,” Trump said.

The US president then turned to Europe, saying that “Europe is not heading in the right direction”.

“I love Europe, I want to see it do good but it’s not going in the right direction,” he said, stating his friends travelling to it told him they did not “recognise it”.

“I don’t want to insult anybody,” he said. “I am derived from Europe, Scotland and Germany, 100%. And we deeply believe in the bonds with Europe, I want to see them do great.”

Trump then turned to the subject of energy, criticising what he said were the effects of left-leaning governments causing losses amid “extremely high prices” in countries like Germany and the UK, labelling it a “New Green Scam”.

“You’re supposed to make money with energy, not lose energy … I want Europe to do great, I want the UK to do great,” he said. “There are windmills over the place, and they are losers.”

“They kill birds, they ruin landscapes … Stupid people buy them,” Trump said.

Helicoptering in

Trump arrived in Davos by helicopter on Wednesday after a delayed departure from Washington due to a minor electrical issue with Air Force One, entering a tense atmosphere as European and allied leaders pushed back against his demands for control of Greenland, which he says is vital to US and global security.

The president’s Marine One chopper touched down after a roughly 40-minute flight to the ski-resort town in the Alps.

As it descended, the presidential convoy passed a message written in the snow on a nearby hillside, reading “Stop wars now”. The night before, one of the mountains in Davos was lit with the message: “No kings”.

Prior to Trump’s speech, WEF officials invited attendees to watch the address on screens in overflow rooms rather than in Congress Hall, but it seemed to make little difference.

Hundreds of people sought a coveted seat inside the hall which usually fits as many as 1,400, with a line forming well before Trump’s arrival, which was initially rumoured to be delayed by several hours.

The press was consigned to the back of the venue, which was declared standing room only, prompting a joke from WEF interim co-chair Laurence Fink — who introduced Trump to tepid applause that grew louder as the US president appeared on stage — that the summit was out of chairs.

United resistance from allies

Trump told reporters back home he would hold multiple meetings on Greenland at the gathering, refusing to specify how far he was prepared to go to acquire the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark when asked.

His arrival came after a day of what was read as united resistance from allies, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney receiving a rare standing ovation for declaring the world was experiencing “a rupture, not a transition” in the US-led global system.

Speaking before Carney in his own special address on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron warned against US attempts to “subordinate Europe” and called Trump’s tariff threats over Greenland “unacceptable.”

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte urged “thoughtful diplomacy” amid tensions within the alliance over Trump’s claims to an ally’s territory. France announced it was calling for a military exercise in Greenland and stood ready to contribute.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told European leaders to “take a deep breath” and avoid “reflexive anger” before hearing what Trump had to say.

The president dismissed the prospect of European trade retaliation, saying “all I have to do is meet it and it’s going to go ricocheting backward.”