Greenland is ‘not just a block of ice,’ residents say, as Trump repeats demands

Fears for the future have grown in Greenland in recent days, as Trump has intensified his rhetoric about taking control of the vast territory, where around 90% of the population of roughly 57,000 inhabitants are Inuit.

In lengthy remarks at the Davos summit, Trump said Wednesday he did not plan to “use force” to take Greenland. Referring to NATO spending, he said that the U.S. “probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be, frankly, unstoppable, but I won’t do that.”

Instead, he said, Europe has “a choice,” adding: “You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative, or you can say no, and we will remember.”

But Trump repeated his claims that acquiring Greenland is vital to “national security,” citing fears of a potential future conflict with Russia or China, though the U.S. military presence there has shrunk drastically since the Cold War, when it was home to critical missile early-warning systems.

In his speech, Trump said controlling the island, which he appeared to erroneously refer to as “Iceland” multiple times, was important “psychologically,” adding: “Who the hell wants to defend a license agreement or a lease, which is a large piece of ice in the middle of the ocean?”

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said it was “positive” that Trump appeared to have ruled out the use of force, but said it was “quite clear” he has not given up on hopes to take over.

While American hopes of acquiring the semi-autonomous territory stretch back to the mid-1800s, following the purchase of Alaska from Russia, Trump’s fixation on assuming control of the island has sparked alarm across the region and around the world.

Trump had threatened to impose sweeping tariffs on eight European nations next month if Denmark did not agree to hand over Greenland, but he backed off that threat on Wednesday.

“I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st,” he said in a post on Truth Social, citing a “framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland” after a meeting with the secretary general of NATO, Mark Rutte.

“We have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region. This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations,” he said, without further providing details.