Trump denies Greenland threats could risk Nato alliance, claiming ‘things are going to work out very well’ – live | Donald Trump
Asked about risks of Greenland threats to Nato alliance, Trump insists: ‘Nato will be very happy’
Asked about the risk to the Nato alliance of his Greenland plan, Trump said: “Something is going to happen which will be very good for everybody.”
He added: “We will work out something out where Nato will be very happy and we will be very happy.
“But we need it [Greenland] for security purposes, we need it for national security and even world security.”
Key events
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A summary of today’s developments
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Asked about risks of Greenland threats to Nato alliance, Trump insists: ‘Nato will be very happy’
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Asked how far he will go on Greenland, Trump says: ‘You’ll find out’
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Trump suggests Board of Peace ‘might’ come to replace the UN
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Trump says he’s done more for Nato ‘than any other person, alive or dead’ and questions whether Nato would come to US’s rescue
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Donald Trump begins White House press briefing
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Tusk: ‘appeasement is always a sign of weakness’
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Nato ‘would have been in ash heap of history’ if it wasn’t for me, Trump says
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Lithuania’s Nausėda calls for EU-US deal on Arctic security to end Greenland tensions
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European parliament to freeze ratification of EU-US trade deal
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Stubb says recent talks on Greenland ‘give me little bit of hope’ on finding way through tensions
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Macron declares ‘full support’ in message to Greenlandic people
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Gavin Newsom attacks Europe’s ‘complicity’ over Trump Greenland demands
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European leaders line up to condemn Trump’s ‘new colonialism’ in Davos – first take
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Canada ‘stands firmly’ with Greenland, Denmark, supports their ‘unique right’ to determine Greenland’s future, Canada’s Carney says
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Danish PM says she will not abandon Greenland
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Meloni faces domestic criticism for positioning herself as mediator with Trump over Greenland
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Zelenskyy says he is ‘worried’ Greenland dispute could shift attention away from Russia’s war on Ukraine
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No country has the right to take over territory of another, EU foreign policy chief says amid Trump threat to seize Greenland
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Military US attack on Greenland ‘not likely’, but cannot be ‘ruled out,’ PM says, as he warns of consequences
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Belgium yet to take position on countermeasures or ‘trade bazooka’ against US despite fighting rhetoric from PM – snap analysis
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US Bessent criticises Spain for defence spending, UK for Chagos islands deal
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US Bessent tells Europe to ‘take deep breath’ and ‘not retaliate’ on trade
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Don’t waste time with crazy ideas, Macron says, as he rejects ‘new imperialism or colonialism’
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‘We know what we have to fix: growth, peace, climate,’ Macron says in call to ‘not be divided’
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‘Crazy’ to think of EU having to respond to ‘useless aggressivity’ of US tariff threats, Macron says
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‘We prefer respect over bullies,’ Macron says as pitches Europe as place for business
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Macron talks about Europe’s trade response to US, China policies
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Macron paints choice between ‘new colonial approach’ and ‘law of strongest’ and ‘effective multilateralism’
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Macron warns about crumbling multilateralism as takes aim at US, China’s policies
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Marcon warns about instability and imbalances in today’s world before taking swipe at Trump’s war record
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France’s Macron addressing Davos – watch live
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The day so far – summary
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‘if anyone starts trade war against us … we must respond,’ Danish prime minister says
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EU cannot ‘stay herbivore’ in post-atlantic world, Belgium’s De Wever says
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‘They have to behave like ally,’ Belgium’s De Wever tells US, as “unfortunately not” granted it will remain ally under Trump
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‘Europe must tell Trump: this far and no further. Back down or we will go all the way,’ Belgian PM says
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Croatia’s Plenković hints at EU trip to Ukraine on fourth anniversary of Ukraine war
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Europe learned ‘hard way’ about its previous mistakes and illusions, Belgium’s de Wever says
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Trump ‘crossing red lines’ and 80 years of atlanticism could be drawing to close if he doesn’t change tack, Belgian PM says
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Lithuania’s president ‘sceptical’ about peace settlement on Ukraine as Russia continues with ‘imperialist’ ambitions
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Von der Leyen rolls out pitch for ‘EU Inc’ as she rebukes Trump over tariff threats – snap analysis
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US tariffs risk ‘plunging us into downward spiral,’ von der Leyen warns
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Proposed US tariffs on European partners ‘a mistake,’ von der Leyen says
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‘This must end’, EU’s von der Leyen says of Russia’s aggression on Ukraine
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EU’s von der Leyen highlights regulatory, capital, investment reforms in push to rival US, China
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‘New Europe already emerging,’ von der Leyen says as she hails new trade deals and lauds ‘fair trade over tariffs’
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EU’s von der Leyen warns ‘nostalgia’ will ‘not bring back old order’ as she calls for ‘new independent’ Europe
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EU’s von der Leyen speaks at Davos
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Greenland not ‘natural part’ of Denmark, Russia says
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US treasury secretary Bessent urges Europe not to retaliate against Trump’s Greenland tariffs
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UK defends Chagos deal from Trump’s criticism
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Morning opening: Trump takes aim at UK, France, Macron, Greenland in busy overnight Truth Social session
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Trump has vetoed the surrender of the Chagos deal, Nigel Farage says
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What was contained within the UK-Chagos Islands agreement?
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Trump says UK’s decision to hand over sovereignty to Chagos Islands is act of ‘great stupidity’
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Macron’s text message shared by Trump on Truth Social is authentic, source says
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Trump says ‘no going back’ on Greenland
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Opening summary
A summary of today’s developments
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Donald Trump said he is confident an agreement will be reached over Greenland during planned meetings in Davos. Asked whether the financial commitments made by other countries to the US would collapse over his Greenland plan, the US president told reporters in Washington DC: “I doubt it. They need that agreement very badly with us. They fought very hard to get it. We have a lot of meetings scheduled on Greenland in Davos. I think things are going to work out very well.”
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Asked how far he is willing to go to acquire Greenland, Trump said: “You’ll find out.” Trump later said: “Something is going to happen which will be very good for everybody.” He added: “We will work out something out where Nato will be very happy and we will be very happy. “But we need it [Greenland] for security purposes, we need it for national security and even world security.” Trump added when he speaks to Greenlanders he is “sure they are going to be thrilled”.
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Trump repeated his claim that he’s “done more for Nato than any other person, alive or dead”.
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Asked to characterise his relationship with French president Emmanuel Macron and the UK’s PM Keir Starmer, president Trump said: “No, I haven’t [spoken to them], but I think I get along very well with them. “I mean, they they always treat me well. They get a little bit rough when I’m not around, but when I’m around they treat me very nicely.”
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Emmanuel Macron, the French president, said on Tuesday he preferred “respect to bullies” and the “rule of law to brutality”. Macron told the World Economic Forum in Davos, that now was “not a time for new imperialism or new colonialism”, criticising the “useless aggressivity” of Trump’s pledge to levy tariffs on countries that opposed a US takeover of Greenland.
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The Polish prime minister Donald Tusk said Europe “cannot afford to be weak” in standing up to the US president Donald Trump. In a post on X, he wrote: “Appeasement is always a sign of weakness. Europe cannot afford to be weak – neither against its enemies, nor ally.”
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The European parliament will freeze ratification of the EU-US trade deal in response to Donald Trump’s tariff threats to European countries who oppose his takeover of Greenland. The European parliament had been due to vote in the coming weeks on introducing 0% tariffs on US industrial goods, a key part of the deal signed between Ursula von der Leyen and Donald Trump at his Turnberry golf course in Scotland last summer.
Lisa O’Carroll
On his relationship with president Macron and Keir Starmer, Trump told reporters: “I haven’t [spoken to them since Truth Social posts] but I think I get along very well with them. I mean, they they always treat me well.
“They get a little bit rough when they’re, you know, when I’m not around, but when I’m around, they treat me very nicely.
“You know, I like both of them. They’re both liberal.
“They’ve got to straighten out their countries. You can’t, you know, London is having a lot of problems. And if you look at Paris, got a lot of problems. They have two problems, immigration and energy. They got to stop with the windmills, and they got to go back like UK has an unbelievable asset called the North Sea.
Norway uses it, makes a fortune. They have a better section of it, and they don’t do it. They could straighten out their countries, and it would be good, but I get along very well.”
Trump also said he would not attend in the event that there is a Group of Seven nations meeting in Paris as his friend Emmanuel Macron is on his way out.
Trump has now finished his press briefing.
Lisa O’Carroll
Did Donald Trump just give a glimpse of alternative ways of taking control of Greenland? A licence?
When asked at the press conference what would happen his plans if the supreme court ruled against him on tariffs, thereby removing his threat against opponents in Europe.
“Well, I have to use something else. I mean, take a look at the word licence. Take a look at other things. I mean, we have other alternatives, but the what we’re doing now is the best, the strongest, the fastest, the easiest, the least complicated.”
Asked if the EU’s pledge to invest almost $1trn into the US would disappear if he carried out his threat to impose new tariffs on imports from eight European countries, he said: “I doubt it. They need that agreement very badly with us. They really do, they fought very hard to get it. So I doubt that.”
He said he had “a lot of meetings scheduled on Greenland” in Davos and “things are going to work out”.
Asked about risks of Greenland threats to Nato alliance, Trump insists: ‘Nato will be very happy’
Asked about the risk to the Nato alliance of his Greenland plan, Trump said: “Something is going to happen which will be very good for everybody.”
He added: “We will work out something out where Nato will be very happy and we will be very happy.
“But we need it [Greenland] for security purposes, we need it for national security and even world security.”
Asked whether the financial commitments made by other countries to the US would collapse over Trump’s Greenland plan, he said: “I doubt it. They need that agreement very badly with us. They fought very hard to get it. We have a lot of meetings scheduled on Greenland in Davos. I think things are going to work out very well.”
Asked to characterise his relationship with French president Emmanuel Macron and the UK’s PM Keir Starmer, president Trump said: “No, I haven’t [spoken to them], but I think I get along very well with them,” Trump says.
“I mean, they they always treat me well. They get a little bit rough when I’m not around, but when I’m around they treat me very nicely.
“And, you know, I like both of them.”
Asked how far he will go on Greenland, Trump says: ‘You’ll find out’
Asked how far he is willing to go to acquire Greenland, Trump kept his answer short and said: “You’ll find out.”
Trump suggests Board of Peace ‘might’ come to replace the UN
Trump is asked about his planned Board of Peace announced last week and whether he would like it to replace the United Nations.
He said: “It might,” adding that the UN is “not very helpful”.
We finally get around to questions after Trump’s lengthy remarks.
Trump is asked about Norway and his perceived snub for the Nobel peace prize.
He said: “I lost a lot of respect for Norway. I believe very strongly Norway controls the Nobel prize.
“I settled eight wars, every participant sent in strong recommendations. No president has settled one war.”
Trump says he’s done more for Nato ‘than any other person, alive or dead’ and questions whether Nato would come to US’s rescue
We’re an hour in (are you still with us?!) and Trump has repeated his claim that he’s “done more for Nato than any other person, alive or dead”.
He cites his pressure campaign to get Nato members to raise their defence spending to 5% of GDP as one of his accomplishments, adding:
I’ve done more for Nato than anybody. I think for the most part, they’ll tell you that. I think you could ask the secretary general [Mark Rutte] about that. He said it as well. But Nato has to treat us fairly too.
Trump says his fear with Nato is, “we spend tremendous amounts of money with Nato, and I know we’ll come to their rescue but I really do question whether or not they’ll come to ours.”
Trump says he’s soon going to a “beautiful place in Switzerland”, adding:
I’m sure I’m very happily awaited for.
The US president hasn’t commented much yet on foreign policy matters, but he’s off to the World Economic Forum in Davos tomorrow.
As we’ve been reporting today, his threats to hit allies with tariffs unless they get on board with his plan to acquire Greenland have been widely discussed.
Donald Trump begins White House press briefing
Almost an hour behind schedule, Donald Trump has finally appeared. As expected, he begins by touting what he considers the accomplishments of his administration so far.
The White House press briefing room is packed ahead of Donald Trump’s anticipated appearance. He’ll of course be wanting to regale reporters with tales of his achievements from his first year back in office (journalists were earlier handed copies of a document entitled, “365 wins in 365 days. President Trump’s Return Marks New Era of Success”), but his threats to annex Greenland and against the US’s Nato allies will no doubt be at the forefront when it’s time to take questions.
The briefing was due to start at 1pm ET so it’s running a little late, we’ll bring you all the latest when it gets started.
A quick note before that gets under way about why Emmanuel Macron has been sporting a striking pair of aviator sunglasses in Davos today.
The French president is dealing with an eye condition that, while being “completely harmless”, has made his right eye red and puffy.
There is a press conference coming up shortly, at 6pm GMT, where White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt will brief reporters on president Donald Trump’s first year back in office.
“In just one year, President Trump has accomplished more than many presidents do in eight. We’ve never had a president fight harder to deliver on the promises he made to the American people than President Trump,” Leavitt wrote on X earlier today.
“I’ll recap it all during the Press Briefing today at 1PM. Tune in!”
Inevitably, Trump’s pursuit of Greenland is likely to be top of the agenda and we will of course have all the top news lines that emerge. Stay tuned.
