Donald Trump said European leaders would not “push back too much” against his push to take over Greenland, as he uses tariff threats to pressure the EU ahead of the Davos summit.
Trump confirmed talks on Greenland at Davos and defended his stance in messages to European leaders, saying global security required “Complete and Total Control of Greenland.”
Trump Says Europe Unlikely To Resist Greenland Bid As Tensions Rise
The European Union has called an emergency summit, while protests erupted in Greenland and NORAD announced the arrival of a US aircraft for “long-planned” activities.
Summary
US President Donald Trump said he thought European political leaders would not “push back too much” on his attempt to buy Greenland, even as tensions rise between Washington and the European Union.
His remarks come as European leaders prepare to take the stage on Tuesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Trump is using tariff threats to pressure the EU over Greenland. At the same time, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced that one of its aircraft would soon arrive at a US military base in Greenland for what it described as “long-planned” activities.
The escalation follows an earlier warning by Trump that he no longer feels obliged to think “purely of peace” after being passed over for a Nobel Prize. The comment appeared in a text message published on Monday (January 19, 2026), as the US President intensified his campaign to take control of Greenland.
In response, the European Union said it would convene an emergency summit on Thursday (January 22, 2026) to consider its next steps. While stressing that its priority was to “engage not escalate”, the bloc said it stood ready to act. Greenland, meanwhile, dismissed the impact of Trump’s tariff threats, as thousands of residents protested over the weekend carrying anti-US placards, including slogans such as “Make America Go Away”.
Trump said on Monday that he had agreed to a meeting of “various parties” to discuss Greenland on the sidelines of the Davos summit this week.
“I agreed to a meeting of the various parties in Davos, Switzerland.”
Further details emerged from a message Trump sent on Sunday (January 18, 2026) to Norwegian Prime Minister Gahr Støre, later released by the Norwegian government. The message stated in part, “Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace.” It concluded, “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland.”
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The White House confirmed the authenticity of the message, with deputy press secretary Anna Kelly saying that Trump “is confident Greenlanders would be better served if protected by the United States from modern threats in the Arctic region.”
Støre said the message was sent in response to an earlier communication from himself and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, in which they expressed opposition to the tariff announcement, urged de-escalation, and proposed a telephone conversation among the three leaders.
(with inputs from The Hindu and BBC)
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