DAVOS, Switzerland – In a striking address at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump declared he would not use military force to acquire Greenland but asserted that the United States would be “unstoppable” in any armed conflict with Europe over the strategic Arctic territory.
The remarks sought to dial back immediate fears of confrontation following his recent demand that the U.S. take over Greenland “the easy way or the hard way.” However, they underscored the significant diplomatic rift the proposition has caused with European allies.
“If we were to use force, we would be unstoppable, but I won’t do that. I don’t want to use force. I don’t need to use force,” Trump told attendees in Davos.
The issue has overshadowed much of the forum’s agenda, prompting unified opposition from U.S. allies and urgent planning in Greenland itself. Earlier on Wednesday, two ministers in Greenland’s government outlined emergency civil response measures, including food stockpiling, citing heightened uncertainty.
“People in Greenland, like others elsewhere, have watched Trump’s actions in Venezuela and have had to confront the possibility that U.S. Marines could one day land on Greenland’s beaches,” reported Jonah Hull from the capital, Nuuk.
The U.S. president’s comments did little to reassure observers on the island, where there was noted discomfort over moments in his speech that appeared to confuse Greenland with Iceland and displayed a disregard for Danish sovereignty. Denmark administers Greenland’s foreign and defense policy.
European leaders at the forum emphasized diplomacy. Finnish President Alexander Stubb, speaking alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, expressed confidence a solution could be found.
“One [school of thought] is to de-escalate, and the other one is to escalate to de-escalate. And I think at the end of the day, we’ll find an off-ramp,” Stubb said.
The tension has escalated into threats of tariffs from Trump against European allies who oppose his position, leading the European Union to consider potential countermeasures.
Concluding his wide-ranging remarks after more than an hour, Trump struck a celebratory tone, telling the gathered leaders, “The United States is back, bigger, stronger, better than ever before.”
The episode leaves the status of Greenland—a vast island rich in resources and of growing geopolitical importance—as a persistent flashpoint between the U.S. and its traditional allies.
