(Kyle Anzalone, Antiwar.com) Update 1/21/2026 7:10 pm est: Three senior officials told The New York Times that the deal discussed between President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte involves giving the US sovereignty over small portions of Greenland.
President Donald Trump said he reached the “framework” of an agreement regarding Greenland after talks with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
“Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Wednesday. “This solution, if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America and all NATO Nations.”
The President did not provide details of the framework agreement. Trump later said that “it’s a little bit complex, but we’ll explain it down the line,” adding the potential agreement is just a “concept.”
He explained that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff would lead the US in talks on Greenland.
It’s unclear whether Rutte has the power to negotiate an agreement with the US over Greenland. Rutte is the former prime minister of the Netherlands and the current top civilian official at NATO.
In his post, Trump said he would drop the 10% tariffs imposed on eight European countries in response to their opposition to the US seizing Greenland from Denmark.
In recent days, the President has argued that the US must take over Greenland or Russia, and China will seize the Danish colony. Trump has raised concerns over the past week when he repeatedly refused to rule out using military force against Greenland.
However, earlier in the day on Wednesday, Trump told the attendees of the World Economic Forum in Davos that he would not deploy the military to take Greenland. He added that he did intend for Greenland to become part of the United States.
The announcement of the framework agreement followed the European Parliament’s vote to suspend a trade agreement with the US. Last April, Trump threatened to impose 20% tariffs on European countries unless the bloc agreed to a trade deal with the US.
In August, the EU and the US reached a new trade agreement. The US agreed to cap most tariffs at 15%. Europe pledged to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the US economy and buy $750 billion in American energy exports.
This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.
