Donald Trump called for immediate negotiations with European countries for the U.S. to purchase Greenland and affirmed for the first time that he would not use military force to occupy the territory.
On Wednesday, 21 Jan 2026 GMT+7, U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a speech at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
At one point, Trump reiterated his demand to take control of Greenland, saying on the Davos stage, “No country or group of countries is in a position to secure Greenland except the United States alone.”
“All NATO allies have a duty to be able to defend their own territories,” Trump said. “We are a great power, greater than people realize.”
Trump also criticized Denmark as “ungrateful” for refusing to relinquish control of Greenland, citing Denmark’s debt to the U.S. for its help in protecting it during World War II.
“Denmark was defeated by Germany after just six hours of fighting and could not defend itself or Greenland at all. So the U.S. was forced to step in, and we succeeded,” he said, expressing regret over the U.S. decision at the time to allow Denmark to retain Greenland.
“How foolish were we to do that?” he said. “But we did it. We gave it back. Now look at how ungrateful they are.”
Trump also called for immediate talks with European allies about the possibility of the U.S. buying Greenland. He sought to explain why he believes U.S. annexation of Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, would benefit both America and Europe.
“Only the United States can protect this vast land and huge ice sheet, as well as develop and improve it for the benefit and security of Europe, and for our own advantage,” Trump said.
“That’s why I’m seeking immediate negotiations to revisit the purchase of Greenland, just as we have acquired many other lands throughout our history, much like many European countries have done.”
Trump also said that U.S. control of Greenland would strengthen the NATO alliance. “This will not be a threat to NATO but will greatly enhance the security of all allies, including NATO members,” adding that he believes the U.S. has “been treated very unfairly by NATO” in the past.
However, Trump said he would not use force to take Greenland, marking his clearest statement yet to dismiss the idea of using military power to annex the island.
“We might get nothing unless I decide to use strength and superior force, and if that happens, frankly, no one would stop us,” Trump said. “But I won’t do that, okay? Now everyone can say, ‘Oh, that’s good.’”
“That might be the most important statement I’ve made because people think I would use force, but I don’t need to, I don’t want to, and I won’t,” Trump said. “All the United States wants is a place called Greenland.”
Later, Trump emphasized that he envisions the U.S. fully owning Greenland rather than merely increasing cooperative agreements.
“All we want is to acquire Greenland, including proper rights and ownership, because you need ownership to protect it,” he said. “You can’t defend territory by leasing it.”
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Source:cnn