US President Donald Trump has backed down from his threat to impose sweeping tariffs on eight European countries, claiming he reached “the framework of a future deal” on Greenland.
The move reverses his plan to levy 10% tariffs on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland from February 1, after threatening to raise them to 25% in June.
Trump said the pause followed a “very productive” meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. He claimed talks are continuing on a US missile defense shield partially based in Greenland.
“Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the tariffs scheduled for February 1,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, without providing details of the alleged deal.
NATO confirmed discussions would focus on Arctic security and preventing Russia and China from gaining influence in Greenland. Rutte said much work remains, emphasizing caution.
Danish and Greenlandic officials expressed skepticism. Greenlandic MP Aaja Chemnitz Larsen wrote that NATO has no mandate to negotiate Greenland’s sovereignty or mineral resources, saying: “Nothing about us, without us.” Danish parliament member Sascha Faxe said Trump’s claimed agreement is “not real” and cannot proceed without Greenland’s involvement.
Earlier, Trump insisted the US would not use military force to seize Greenland but hinted at leveraging economic and diplomatic pressure. His prior extreme tariff threats had already rattled European leaders and Wall Street.
Trump has long claimed Greenland belongs to the US for strategic reasons—a notion widely criticized and fact-checked. The European Parliament recently suspended the ratification of a US-EU tariff deal, signaling resistance to Trump’s trade threats.
