US President Donald Trump on Wednesday ruled out using military force to take over Greenland, although he reiterated his demand to acquire the island.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum annual meeting (WEF 2026) in Davos, Trump lashed out at Denmark, saying it is too weak to protect Greenland, which he claimed as American territory.
“We need it for strategic national security and international security. This enormous unsecured island is actually part of North America. That’s our territory,” Trump said.
Moreover, he claimed that the US is the only country that can secure Greenland. “No nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland other than the United States,” he said.
Special Address by Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump), President of the United States of America (@POTUS @whitehouse) with @borgebrende and Laurence D. Fink (@BlackRock) #WEF26 https://t.co/k0rVz5zK8J
— World Economic Forum (@wef) January 21, 2026
The US President dismissed the use of force to acquire the island. “We 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,” he said.
“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 affirmed.
He added that the US is seeking “immediate negotiations” to discuss the acquisition of the Arctic island, calling it a “piece of ice.”
In the meantime, the European Parliament decided to freeze work on the European Union’s (EU) trade deal with the US in response to Trump’s threats to take over Greenland and impose additional tariffs on European countries opposing the move.
“EU-US Deal on ice indefinitely! We have just decided to suspend work by (trade committee) on the legal implementation of the Turnberry Deal. Our sovereignty & territorial integrity are at stake. Business as usual impossible,” the committee chair, Bernd Lange, posted on X.
