Trump doubles down on Greenland threats, saying there is ‘no going back’

US president Donald Trump has doubled down on his threats to take control of Greenland, saying on social media that there is “no going back” and that “Greenland is imperative”.

During a information convention at the White House, Trump was requested how far he was prepared to go to purchase Greenland and replied, “You’ll find out”.

Meanwhile, French president Emmanuel Macron warned at a assembly at the World Economic Forum assembly in Switzerland of a “shift towards a world without rules”, while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the “old order is not coming back”.

Trump is due to arrive in Davos on Wednesday, where he has said there are “a lot of meetings scheduled on Greenland”.

During the prolonged press briefing, Trump also instructed reporters that “things are going to work out pretty well” in Greenland.

Asked by the BBC whether the attainable break up of the Nato alliance was a price the president was prepared to pay for Greenland, he responded, “Nobody has done more for Nato than I have, in every way,” and said “Nato is going to be happy and we are going to be happy,” including, “We need it for world security.”

But he earlier questioned whether Nato would come to help of the US, should it be required.

“I know we’ll come to (Nato’s) rescue, but I just really do question whether or not they’ll come to ours,” he instructed reporters.

Nato – the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – presently has 32 member states, with the US one of the 12 founding nations.

Designed to safeguard freedom and security through a collective defence, one of the core ideas of the Nato alliance is outlined in Article 5, which says that an armed attack against one or more members will be thought of an attack against all.

Trump has not ruled out utilizing navy pressure to purchase Greenland; when NBC News requested yesterday whether he would use pressure to seize the territory, the president replied “no comment”.

In an interview with BBC Newsnight on Tuesday night, Greenland’s Minister of Industry and Natural Resources, Naaja Nathanielsen, said that Greenlanders were “bewildered” by the president’s calls for.

“We do not want to be Americans, and we have been quite clear about that,” Nathanielsen said.

“What value do you put on our culture and our right to decide what happens with us in the future?”

Ahead of the discussion board in Davos, Trump shared screenshots that he says confirmed textual content messages despatched to him by Macron and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte.

In them, Rutte said he was dedicated to discovering a means ahead on Greenland, while Macron said he “does not understand what you are doing”, but supplied to organise a assembly with other leaders in Paris.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, addressed the matter instantly in a speech to attendees on Tuesday, which was the first day of the discussion board, emphasising that Europe is “fully committed” when it comes to the security of the Arctic.

However, she said that this could only be achieved collectively, and called Trump’s proposed extra tariffs “a mistake”.

The US president has said he will add a 10% tariff to “any and all goods” imported from eight European nations from 1 February if they opposed his proposed takeover of Greenland.

In her speech, Von der Leyen added that the European Union stands in “full solidarity” with Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark – including that their sovereignty is “non-negotiable”.

Her phrases were echoed by Canada’s Mark Carney, who said that his nation’s dedication to Nato’s Article 5 – which states an armed attack against one or more members is thought of an attack against all – is “unwavering”.

“We stand firmly with Greenland and Denmark and fully support their unique right to determine Greenland’s future,” Carney said.

In Macron’s remarks, he said he most popular “respect to bullies” and the “rule of law to brutality”.

Earlier on Tuesday, Trump threatened a 200% tariff on French wine and champagne after Macron reportedly declined an invitation to be part of the Gaza “Board of Peace”.

The French president condemned the “endless accumulation of new tariffs” as “fundamentally unacceptable”, notably when used as leverage against territorial sovereignty.

Macron is among those urging the EU to contemplate retaliatory choices against US tariffs, including the anti-coercion instrument, nicknamed a “trade bazooka”.

Sources close to the worldwide commerce committee have said that the European Parliament is planning to droop approval of the US commerce deal agreed in July, in a transfer that would mark another escalation in tensions between the US and Europe.