Trump Withdraws Threat of Tariffs to Europe over Greenland, Promises Not to Use Force

JAKARTA - US President Donald Trump has backed down on his threat to impose a 10 percent tariff on goods from eight European countries starting in February, following the countries' rejection of his efforts to take over Greenland from Denmark.

Trump reiterated his desire for the US to acquire Greenland, but dismissed the use of military force to seize the semi-autonomous Arctic territory. He called the move a part of national security interests amid China and Russia's growing influence.

After meeting with Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Mark Rutte in Davos, Switzerland, Trump wrote on social media that they had formed a framework for a future agreement regarding Greenland and the Arctic region as a whole.

He stated that the solution, if realized, would benefit the US and all NATO member countries.

Trump said the decision to lift the tariff threat was taken in line with the plan. He added that further discussions on Greenland and the Golden Dome missile defense system would still be carried out.

In a previous speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump stressed that many countries are heavily dependent on the US in maintaining global peace and prosperity.

He assessed that the foreign and economic policies of his government since returning to office a year ago had maintained this position.

Trump said the US would likely get nothing if he decided to use excessive force, which he said would make his country unstoppable. However, he stressed that he would not take that route and said he did not want to use force.

He again criticized European countries that opposed his ambitions for Greenland and encouraged NATO to open immediate negotiations regarding the US plan to annex the world's largest island.

In a speech that lasted quite a long time, Trump also highlighted various other issues, including his claim that a historic trade deal with Japan, European countries, and South Korea had boosted stock market gains and economic growth.

He said the impact of the success was not only felt in the US, but also in almost all countries that had agreements, saying that when the US economy grew, other countries would follow.

In a question-and-answer session after the speech, Trump also said he had a very good relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump called Xi an "extraordinary" figure and said what the Chinese leader had done was "impressive" and "widely respected," when asked about the direction of Washington-Beijing relations going forward.