Greenland Talks With US Aim To Prevent Russia, China 'Access': NATO Chief

Last Updated:January 22, 2026, 16:02 IST

NATO chief Mark Rutte and US President Donald Trump agreed on a framework to keep China and Russia out of Greenland, dropping threats of force and tariffs after talks.

President Donald Trump, right, with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during a meeting on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday. (AP)

Talks with the US on Greenland aim to ensure China and Russia do not get military and economic access to the Arctic territory, NATO chief Mark Rutte said.

According to AFP, after talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump backed down on threats to seize Greenland by force, saying he had reached a “framework" of a deal on the island that satisfies him.

“It was a very good discussion," Rutte said Thursday at a Ukrainian event on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum.

Last week, the foreign minister of Denmark and Greenland held talks with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington.

On Thursday, Rutte said the next round of talks will be based on the results from his meeting with Trump.

AFP quoted him saying one “work stream" to emerge from the meeting with Trump was how NATO allies – including its seven members in the Arctic – can “collectively make sure that the Arctic stays safe, that the Russians and the Chinese stay out".

The other issue, he said, was “that we ensure that the Chinese and the Russians will not gain access to the Greenland economy" or militarily.

On Wednesday, Trump said he had reached a “framework" for a deal over Greenland, stepping back from earlier threats to impose tariffs on European allies and to use force to take control of the Arctic island from Denmark.

“We have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

“Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st," he added.

The threatened tariffs were set to hit Denmark and several close US allies, including Britain, France and Germany, all of which had sent troops to Greenland following Trump’s earlier remarks.

News world Greenland Talks With US Aim To Prevent Russia, China 'Access': NATO Chief

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