Trump backs away from tariff threats, signals deal on Greenland

U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly stepped back from threats to impose tariffs on European nations as leverage to seize Greenland and showed willingness to reach a peaceful settlement to a tense standoff over the future of Greenland.

Travelling in Davos, Switzerland, Trump backed down, for now, from weeks of rhetoric that shook the NATO alliance and risked a new global trade war, Caliber.Az reports via US media.

He said he won’t use military force to acquire Greenland, though he left no doubt that he still wants the U.S. to play a dominant role in Greenland's future.

Trump suggested a deal was in sight to end a dispute over the Danish territory that risked the deepest rupture in transatlantic relations in decades.

On January 21, Trump announced on social media that after a private meeting with NATO's secretary general in Davos, Switzerland, he agreed to the "framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic region."

“It’s a deal that everybody’s very happy with," Trump told reporters. “It’s a long-term deal. It’s the ultimate long-term deal. It puts everybody in a really good position, especially as it pertains to security and to minerals.”

"It’s a deal that’s forever," he added.

Earlier, Trump had threatened at the weekend to impose rising tariffs on eight European countries' U.S.-bound exports.

By Khagan Isayev