Managing Trump (greenland): 1)Trump cancels tariff threat over Greenland, says NATO agreed to ‘framework’ of future Arctic deal; 2)Trump’s Greenland threats spark outrage and defiance from EU, testing longtime NATO alliances; 3)(Updated) Carney says beefing up Arctic security key to solving Greenland crisiS; 4) Security experts sound alarm for Canada as Trump threatens to take Greenland; 5) From climate change to Inuit culture: Five things shared by Greenland and Canada; 6)(Updated)Trump ties his stance on Greenland to not getting Nobel Peace Prize; 7)Europe warns of ‘dangerous downward spiral’ after Trump threatens tariffs over Greenland; 8)Carney ‘concerned’ about U.S. ‘escalation’ on Greenland
1)Trump cancels tariff threat over Greenland, says NATO agreed to ‘framework’ of future Arctic deal
Courtesy Barrie360.com and The Associated Press
By Josh Boak, Will Weissert And Aamer Madhani, January 21, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he was canceling his planned tariff on U.S. allies in Europe over US control of Greenland after he and the leader of NATO agreed to a ‘framework of a future deal’ on Arctic security.
The abrupt about-face emerged hours after Trump had insisted that he wants to “get Greenland, including right, title and ownership,” but said he would not use force to do so while deriding European allies and vowing that NATO should not try to block U.S. expansionism.
In an extraordinary speech at the World Economic Forum, the president said he was asking for territory that was “cold and poorly located.” He said the U.S. had effectively saved Europe during World War II and even declared of NATO: “It’s a very small ask compared to what we have given them for many, many decades.”
“We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be frankly unstoppable. But I won’t do that, OK?” Trump said, later adding, “I don’t have to” and “I don’t want to use force.”
Trump often tries to increase pressure on the other side when he believes it can lead to a favorable deal, and he seemed happy to do so ahead of the forum in Davos.
The implications of his remarks were enormous, potentially rupturing an alliance that has held firm since the dawn of the Cold War and seemed among the globe’s most unshakable pacts.
NATO was founded by leading European nations, the U.S. and Canada to form a bloc to counter the Soviet Union. Its other members have been steadfast in saying Greenland is not for sale and cannot be wrested from Denmark, meaning Trump’s comments could yet mark the beginning of a larger geopolitical standoff.
The president has long said the U.S. will get control of Greenland no matter what it takes, arguing that Washington needs the world’s largest island to counter threats in the surrounding Arctic Ocean from Russia and China. That’s despite America already having a large military base there.
A Danish government official told The Associated Press after Trump’s speech that Copenhagen is ready to discuss U.S. security concerns. But the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, underscored the government’s position that “red lines”— namely Denmark’s sovereignty — must be respected.
Greenland’s government responded by telling its citizens to be prepared. It has published a handbook in English and Greenlandic on what to do in a crisis that urges residents to ensure they have sufficient food, water, fuel and supplies at home to survive for five days.
“We just went to the grocery store and bought the supplies,” said Tony Jakobsen in Greenland’s capital Nuuk said, showing off the contents of bags that included candles, snacks and toilet paper.
Jakobsen said he thought Trump’s rhetoric towards Greenland was “just threats… but it’s better to be ready than not ready.”
Trump, meanwhile, urged Denmark and the rest of NATO to stand aside, adding an ominous warning.
“We want a piece of ice for world protection, and they won’t give it,” Trump said. “You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no, and we will remember.”
He also called for opening “immediate negotiations” for the U.S. to acquire Greenland. In subsequent comments to reporters, he declined to name a price that might be paid, saying only, “There’s a bigger price, and that’s the price of safety and security and national security and international security.”
Trump suggests Europe is fizzling while U.S. booms
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he was encouraged by Trump’s comment about not using U.S. military force but called other parts of the speech “a way of thinking about territorial integrity that does not match the institutions we have.”
“Greenland is part of NATO. Denmark is part of NATO, and we can exercise our sovereignty in Greenland,” Løkke Rasmussen said.
In his remarks, Trump also argued that the U.S. is booming and its economy is strong, in sharp contrast to Europe.
“I want to see Europe go good, but it’s not heading in the right direction,” said Trump, who also noted, “We want strong allies, not seriously weakened ones.” He said of European economies, “You all follow us down, and you follow us up.”
His arrival was delayed after a minor electrical problem on Air Force One forced a return to Washington to switch aircraft. As Trump’s motorcade headed down a narrow road to the speech site, onlookers — including some skiers — lined the route. Some made obscene gestures, and one held up a paper cursing the president.
Billionaires and top executives packed inside the forum’s Congress Hall, which held around 1,000, for Trump’s keynote address. The space was filled to standing room only. Attendees used headsets to listen in six languages besides English, and the reaction was mostly polite applause.
Afterward, Trump met with the leaders of Poland, Belgium and Egypt and again repeated that the U.S. would not be invading Greenland.
“Military is not on the table,” Trump said, suggesting that the parties involved would use better judgment.
Tariff threat looms large
Potentially deepening the crisis are Trump’s threats to impose steep U.S. import taxes on Denmark and seven other allies unless they negotiate a transfer of the semi-autonomous territory — some European say they won’t do.
Trump said the tariffs would start at 10% next month and climb to 25% in June.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed during his weekly questioning in the House of Commons, “Britain will not yield on our principles and values about the future of Greenland under threats of tariffs, and that is my clear position.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that should Trump move forward with the tariffs, the bloc’s response “will be unflinching, united and proportional.”
Experts and economists are warning that Trump’s Greenland tariff threat could disrupt the U.S. economy if it blows up the trade truce reached last summer between the U.S. and the EU. But the U.S. stock market largely recovered on Wednesday from its worst day since October after Trump’s talk of Greenland-related tariffs spooked investors.
Trump’s housing plan overshadowed
Trump’s was supposed to focus on how to lower U.S. housing prices — part of a larger effort to bring down the cost of living, which could prove a liability for the president’s party of November’s midterm elections.
Greenland instead carried the day, with Trump lashing out at Denmark for being “ungrateful” for the U.S. protection of the Arctic island during the Second World War. He also mistakenly referred to Iceland, mixing up that country with Greenland four times during his speech and for the fifth time since Tuesday.
“This enormous unsecured island is actually part of North America,” Trump said. “That’s our territory.”
When he finally did mention housing in his speech, Trump suggested he did not support a measure to encourage affordability. He said bringing down rising home prices hurts property values and makes homeowners who once felt wealthy because of the equity in their houses feel poorer.
‘You have to be prepared for almost anything’
In Nuuk, resident Johnny Hedemann said it was “insulting” that Trump “talks about the Greenlandic people and the Greenlandic nation as just an ice cube.” He spoke while heading out to buy a camping stove and instant mashed potatoes.
“Living in this nature, you have to be prepared for almost anything. And now there’s another threat — and that’s Trump,” Hedemann said.
He added: “With this lunatic, you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. He can make things very bad for everyone.”
2)Trump’s Greenland threats spark outrage and defiance from EU, testing longtime NATO alliances
Courtesy Barrie360.com and The Associated Press
By Jamey Keaten, Emma Burrows And Will Weissert, January 20, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump ’s pledges to provoke a sweeping tariff fight with Europe to get his way in taking control of Greenland has left many of America’s closest allies warning of a rupture with Washington that would shatter the NATO alliance that had once seemed unshakable.
The European Union’s top official on Tuesday called Trump’s planned new tariffs over Greenland a “mistake” and questioned Trump’s trustworthiness. French President Emmanuel Macron said the EU could retaliate against its long-standing ally by deploying one of its most powerful economic tools, known colloquially as a trade “bazooka.”
Trump prides himself on ratcheting up pressure to try and negotiate through a position of strength. He is slated to leave on Tuesday — the anniversary of his inauguration — for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a venue that could give him the chance to defuse tensions as quickly as he has sought to stir them up.
But European leaders — digging in and vowing to defend Denmark and its semiautonomous control over Greenland — may be seeking just as hard to meet an extraordinary moment with their own demonstration of fierce resolve.
That could hurt the chances of Trump finding a quick way to turn around the crisis. And, even as the furor over Trump’s escalating calls for U.S. control of the vast Arctic island seems ready to engulf the elite annual meeting in Switzerland, Greenland’s leader insisted on respect for its territorial integrity and said recognition of international law is “not a game.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pushed back against Trump’s announcement that, starting February, a 10% import tax will be imposed on goods from eight European nations that have rallied around NATO ally Denmark. Greenland is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark.
“The European Union and the United States have agreed to a trade deal last July,” von der Leyen said in Davos. “And in politics as in business – a deal is a deal. And when friends shake hands, it must mean something.”
“We consider the people of the United States not just our allies, but our friends. And plunging us into a downward spiral would only aid the very adversaries we are both so committed to keeping out of the strategic landscape,” she added.
She vowed that the EU’s response “will be unflinching, united and proportional.”
The harder stance seemed to defy the approach that many European leaders have taken since Trump returned to office, which mostly had been to say nice things about Trump to try to stay in his good graces, while working furiously through other avenues to find compromise. The president’s continued insistence in recent weeks, however, that nothing short of the U.S. somehow owning Greenland being unacceptable, is testing the limits of the softer approach.
Trump says the U.S. needs the territory to deter possible threats from China and Russia. Set to speak in Davos on Wednesday, Trump said on social media that he had agreed to “a meeting of the various parties” there. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent insisted, meanwhile, that America’s relations with Europe “have never been closer” and urged trading partners to “take a deep breath.”
Still, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, speaking in the Danish parliament, said that “the worst may still be ahead of us.” She said that “we have never sought conflict. We have consistently sought cooperation.”
‘Not a game’
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said at a news conference in the island’s capital, Nuuk, that “we need to have respect for international law and territorial integrity.” He said those principles should unite Western democratic countries, and said he was grateful for support from EU allies.
“International law, it’s not a game,” he said. “We have been a close and loyal ally to the United States, to NATO, through many, many, many years. We can do lots more in that framework. We are willing to cooperate much more, but of course in mutual respect, and if we cannot see that, it will be very difficult to have a good and reliable partnership.”
Trump’s threats have sparked outrage and a flurry of diplomatic activity across Europe, as leaders consider possible countermeasures, including retaliatory tariffs and the first-ever use of the European Union’s anti-coercion instrument.
Unofficially known as the “trade bazooka,” the anti-coercion instrument could sanction individuals or institutions found to be putting undue pressure on the EU. The EU has two other major economic tools it could use to pressure Washington: new tariffs, or a suspension of the U.S.-EU trade deal.
Macron warned in Davos that the additional tariffs could force the EU to use its anti-coercion mechanism for the first time against the United States.
“Can you imagine that?” he said, arguing that allied countries should be focusing instead on bringing peace to Ukraine. “This is crazy.”
In general, he said, the mechanism “is a powerful instrument and we should not hesitate to deploy it in today’s tough environment.”
Trump earlier posted a text message from Macron in which the French president suggested a meeting of members of the Group of Seven industrialized democracies in Paris after the Davos gathering. An official close to Macron, who spoke anonymously in line with the French presidency’s customary practices, confirmed the message shared by Trump is genuine.
In his latest threat of tariffs, Trump indicated that the import taxes would be retaliation for last week’s deployment of symbolic numbers of troops from the European countries to Greenland — though he also suggested that he was using the tariffs as leverage to negotiate with Denmark.
Newsom urges Europe to show ‘backbone’
Speaking on the sidelines of Davos, California Gov. Gavin Newsom slammed Europe’s response to Trump’s tariff threats as “pathetic” and “embarrassing,” and urged European leaders to unite and stand up to the United States.
“It is time to get serious, and stop being complicit,” Newsom told reporters. “It’s time to stand tall and firm, have a backbone.”
Greenland’s European backers have also looked at establishing a more permanent military presence to help guarantee security in the Arctic region, a key demand of the United States, Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said.
In Moscow, meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov strongly denied any intention by Russia and China to threaten Greenland, while also describing Greenland as a “colonial gain” for Denmark. At a news conference, he said that “in principle, Greenland isn’t a natural part of Denmark.”
US-UK tensions over Chagos Islands
In another sign of tension between allies, the British government on Tuesday defended its decision to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after Trump attacked the plan, which his administration previously supported.
Trump said that relinquishing the remote Indian Ocean archipelago, home to a strategically important American naval and bomber base, was an act of stupidity that shows why he needs to take over Greenland.
In a speech to lawmakers at Britain’s Parliament on Tuesday, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said he hoped to “calm the waters” as Trump roils the trans-Atlantic relationship with his desire to take over Greenland.
Johnson said the U.S. and the U.K. “have always been able to work through our differences calmly, as friends. We will continue to do that.”
___ Burrows reported from Nuuk, Greenland. Weissert reported from Washington. AP writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Jill Lawless in London and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.
3)(Updated) Carney says beefing up Arctic security key to solving Greenland crisis
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By David Baxter, Jan. 20, 2026.
There are solutions to the crisis enveloping Greenland, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Tuesday, as global leaders at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland absorbed another escalation in U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to assert control over the Danish territory.
During his address to the forum in the ski resort town of Davos, Carney said Canada stands by the principle that sovereignty and Greenland’s territorial integrity must be upheld.
“I strongly believe that there is a better outcome that comes from the discussions that have been catalyzed in an unusual way, admittedly,” Carney said when asked if he thinks a diplomatic “off ramp” exists to blunt Trump’s desire for Greenland.
In the early morning hours of Tuesday, Trump went on a posting blitz focused on Greenland on his social media platform, Truth Social.
His posts included an AI-generated photo of him meeting in the Oval Office with European leaders and a map of the Western Hemisphere that shows American flags over Greenland, Canada, Cuba and Venezuela.
When asked Tuesday at the White House how far he is willing to go to acquire Greenland, Trump told reporters, “You’ll find out.” And when asked about Greenlanders not wanting to join the U.S., he said, “When I speak to them, I’m sure they will be thrilled.”
That followed Trump’s threat last Saturday to impose new tariffs on eight European nations for refusing to support his Greenland takeover. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called that threat “a mistake” Tuesday, citing Trump’s promise last year not to impose further tariffs on EU nations.
On Sunday, Carney said he is “concerned” about the U.S. ratcheting up its rhetoric on Greenland and would relay that message to Trump if he sees him in Davos. Trump will deliver a speech at the forum on Wednesday but the two leaders are not scheduled to meet.
Carney said the answer to the Greenland issue “starts with security.”
“A security, yes, of Greenland, but more broadly of the Arctic,” he said. “Canada is four-square contributing to that. We’re at the start of a major ramp-up above and beyond, so we’ll be a major contributor to that. NATO has to deliver on that. We’re working intensively in order to do it.”
Trump has repeatedly used the perceived threat from Russia and China as justification for the U.S. taking control of Greenland.
Carney said Russia poses a clear threat in the Arctic. Citing Canadian military spending in the region for things like submarines, fighter jets and over-the-horizon radar, Carney said the best defence against Russia is joint NATO investment.
“The threat is more prospective than actual at this stage in terms of actual activity in the Arctic, and we intend to keep it that way,” he said.
When asked directly about Canadian troops joining Danish sovereignty military exercises in Greenland, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Tuesday in Davos that Canada takes part in NATO exercises regularly.
She said any additional military exercises would be up to the defence minister and the chief of the defence staff.
Anand did not name names when reporters asked her to cite the top threat facing Canada. She said the world has shifted “significantly” since her term as defence minister ended in mid-2023.
“As Canadians, we will continue to stand up for the true north strong and free, as we expect our allies, partners and all other countries to respect that sovereignty,” Anand said.
Carney did not hesitate to identify China as the biggest security threat facing Canada during a federal election debate last year.
But he was in Beijing last week to land trade agreements with President Xi Jinping to ease some agricultural tariffs and reopen the Canadian market to some Chinese electric vehicles, with conditions.
Anand told a panel Tuesday in Davos that Canada has an Arctic foreign policy and it’s time NATO had its own strategy to contain “the threat from Russia in the Arctic” in concert with Canada and Nordic states.
“NATO needs that strategy,” she said.
She also told reporters Canada’s pursuit of trade partners in Beijing and the Gulf of Arabia show Ottawa is going beyond reacting to U.S. policy shifts.
“What sets Canada apart from other countries with whom we are speaking, for example, is that we have a strategy and we’re pursuing that strategy,” she said.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told the World Economic Forum Tuesday that Trump’s desire for Greenland is about national security.
“As part of NATO, I think the president is worried that if there were an incursion into Greenland, the U.S. would be called upon to defend Greenland,” he said.
Greenland and Arctic defence were key topics of Carney’s conversations with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday and with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, readouts from Carney’s office said.
Macron said during his speech to the World Economic Forum on Tuesday that the U.S. is using trade agreements to weaken and subordinate Europe.
Macron said it’s unacceptable for countries to use trade as a weapon to extract territorial concessions — a nod toward Trump’s tariff threats against France and other nations.
Macron said “accepting a new colonial approach doesn’t make sense.”
The Nunavut legislature raised the Greenland flag on Tuesday as a sign of solidarity. On the weekend, dozens of people protested Trump’s threats in a show of support in Iqaluit.
— with files from Dylan Robertson, Kelly Geraldine Malone in Washington and The Associated Press
4)Security experts sound alarm for Canada as Trump threatens to take Greenland
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By David Baxter, January 19, 2026
Experts on global security and defence are warning that Canada may be forced to start “thinking about the unthinkable,” as U.S. President Donald Trump ramps up his campaign to wrest control of Greenland away from Denmark.
The warnings come as some Canadian media report Canada is mulling whether or not to send troops to Greenland in a show of solidarity with Europe.
Both The Globe and Mail and CBC, citing unnamed sources, reported that Canada has drawn up contingency plans for sending a small contingent of troops to Greenland but hasn’t yet decided to do it.
A small military contingent with troops from France, Germany, Sweden Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and the U.K. began arriving in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, last week. Denmark also deployed additional troops to Greenland, a self-governing autonomous zone within the Kingdom of Denmark.
On Saturday, Trump upped the pressure, threatening to impose a 10 per cent tariff on Feb. 1 on all imports from those eight European countries, for opposing his demand to take control of Greenland.
He said that will rise to 25 per cent on June 1 if there isn’t a deal in place that gives the U.S. complete ownership of Greenland.
On Monday, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said he received a message from Trump on the weekend that said he no longer felt “an obligation to think purely of Peace,” after not being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Norwegian government does not determine who wins the Nobel Peace Prize, but the selection committee is based in the Nordic country.
Trump’s Sunday message to Gahr Støre, released by the Norwegian government, read in part: “Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America.”
It concluded: “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland.”
Wesley Wark, a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, said Trump’s latest move puts Canada in a difficult situation.
“I would just say this bluntly, is that the concern for the Carney government is fear of retribution should they decide to show their support for an independent Greenland and independent Kingdom of Denmark and show that Canada is committed to the idea of NATO collective security,” Wark said.
On Sunday, when asked about Trump’s latest tariffs and the possibility of sending Canadian troops to Greenland, Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was concerned about the U.S. escalation and supports Greenland and Denmark’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“There’s a full commitment, not surprisingly — as is appropriate, among NATO members to the security of Greenland,” Carney said during a press conference in Doha, Qatar where he was on an official visit.
He said he would say that to Trump as well, if the two speak. They are both set to be in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum but aren’t currently expected to have a meeting there.
Carney did not directly answer a question about the possibility of Canada deploying military to respond in Greenland. He said Greenland is protected through NATO and Canada is committed to working with alliance partners to increase Arctic defence capabilities.
“I had conversations with the NATO secretary-general in Paris 10 days ago… about how we’re going to further enhance that security umbrella. It’s something that Canada is working on already,” Carney said, referring to efforts to enhance Canada’s security in the Arctic.
Neither the Prime Minister’s Office, nor the office of Defence Minister David McGuinty, have responded to a request from The Canadian Press for information on Canada’s military plans in Greenland.
A statement from Defence Minister David McGuinty’s press secretary to The Canadian Press last week says the Canadian Armed Forces are not initiating new operations, but have several joint operations with European allies, including in Greenland.
Norad issued a statement on social media Monday that alliance aircraft will soon arrive at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland. The statement says American and Canadian aircraft will support “long-planned” activities meant to strengthen defence ties between North America and Denmark.
The statement says all activities are being done in coordination with Denmark and have received all necessary diplomatic clearances.
Robert Huebert, director of the Centre for Military Security and Strategic Studies and University of Calgary political science professor, said Trump’s text message to Norway’s prime minister sounds like something a fictional “mad king” would say.
Huebert said he believes Canada is trying to keep a low profile for now as the government determines what course of action to take. He said while vocal support has been lent to Greenland and European allies, it is a reality that Canada has historically “not pulled its weight” on Arctic security under both NATO and Norad.
“What do you say to an individual that says that he’s going to hold his breath until he turns blue and gets the Nobel Prize as the explanation for why he is threatening a war against Greenland?” Huebert said.
“And so I think that the Carney government probably is realizing that anything that it would say in favour of Greenland is going to have a direct response on the part of the Trump administration.”
Trump has continually said if the U.S. doesn’t control Greenland, then Russia or China will seize the Danish territory, despite a lack of evidence either nation is mulling a ground invasion.
While Canada’s last defence policy update warns of Russian and Chinese Arctic ambitions, primarily around trade routes and resource rights, Huebert said the best way to continue regional security is through a strong NATO presence — something Trump threatens by going after an ally.
“If NATO, in fact, is so severely damaged or basically eliminated, that means that the Russians all of a sudden have a much greater access through the (Greenland-Iceland-U.K.) Gap, because that is defended by NATO’s naval forces,” Huebert said.
“Trump is taking action that actually makes it easier for the Russians and the Chinese to threaten the region. That’s the bizarre part.”
Wark agrees with Huebert that Trump’s message to Norway about Greenland is “completely mad and bonkers,” but it sends a message to NATO allies that they are entering an era of the unthinkable — one where a NATO member is talking about attacking another ally.
“I think the Canadian government is going to have to start thinking about the unthinkable, frankly. And the notion that we can continue to consider the United States as a reliable security partner, military partner in Norad, I think no longer holds true,” Wark said.
— With files from The Associated Press.
5) From climate change to Inuit culture: Five things shared by Greenland and Canada
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Dylan Robertson, January 19, 2025
As Greenland and Canada both feel the threat of American expansion, the two have deep ties they are hoping to build on.
In February 2024, the Danish territory launched an Arctic strategy that promised a representation office for Greenland in Ottawa. Ten months later, Canada pledged to open a consulate in Nuuk, which is set to take place early next month.
Here are five things Canada and the Danish territory share:
A land border
In 2022, Canada and Denmark struck a deal to resolve an amicable dispute over Hans Island, involving 1.3-square-kilometres that both countries had claimed for five decades.
The uninhabited rock sits between Ellesmere Island, in Nunavut, and Greenland, and it was divided along a natural ridge, giving about 40 per cent of the territory to Canada and the rest to Greenland.
That meant that Canada for the first time shared a land border with Denmark.
As part of the long dispute, soldiers from both nations left bottles of spirits on the island with little notes for one another while removing each other’s flags, in what was dubbed the Whisky Wars.
The negotiations took 17 years, and resolved a disagreement between the two countries on maritime boundaries on the continental shelf. Both countries had agreed to refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice if they couldn’t reach a deal, as a way of affirming support for international law.
The agreement followed consultation with Inuit from both Nunavut and Greenland, who maintained hunting rights and freedom of movement on the island.
Inuit population
When the Hans Island dispute was resolved in 2022, Ottawa said the process had prompted further negotiations on freedom of movement for Inuit living in Nunavut and Greenland, to make it easier for them to visit friends and family.
That illustrates the cultural and family ties between the territories, which sit just 26 kilometres apart.
According to the 2021 census, 70,545 Inuit live in Canada, with most in their ancestral territories spanning the three territories, Labrador and northern Quebec.
Greenland’s population stood at 57,000 and most estimates suggest 90 per cent of the territory is Inuit.
Inuit have also worked together across colonial borders to advocate for their rights and preserving cultures through the Inuit Circumpolar Council, including Canada, Greenland, Alaska and Siberia.
Greenland suffers from some of the same plights seen across Northern Canada, such as poor health outcomes and suicide. But the territory has part of a Nordic social model, with an emphasis on medical and educational access.
Both Nunavut and Greenland have a measure of autonomy and self-government, but not full sovereignty.
Climate change and defence
A warming planet has caused disproportionate changes in the Far North, affecting the seasons and access to traditional plants and food.
Canada and Greenland say they want to collaborate more on the fight against climate change through the diplomatic missions they’ll be opening, with talk of more research collaboration and integrating scientific and traditional knowledge.
The changing climate also increases the prospects for future shipping lanes around Greenland and Nunavut, as well as concerns about adversaries sending military and research vessels.
The Danish Armed Forces’ leadership in Greenland have talked about wanting to better co-ordinate with Canada on northern defence, which might be helped by a new defence-industry pact Ottawa signed with the European Union last year.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand has said that after decades of Canadian troops supporting security in Western Europe, it’s time for the NATO military alliance to focus on the north so Canada and the Nordics are better protected.
Mineral wealth
Greenland has a wealth of critical minerals that can help fuel a global clean-energy transition, such as for solar panels and batteries for electric vehicles.
Western countries have focused on critical minerals in recent years after realizing they had a strategic vulnerability in relying on a supply chain where China has vast influence.
Still, experts have said that extracting minerals from Greenland is particularly complex and expensive due to its location and terrain.
An expansion of mining in Greenland might in theory influence Canadian supply chains, which were affected by Canadian sanctions against Russia following its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Some mining equipment had travelled between Canada and Russia before those sanctions, due to somewhat similar topographies and extracted products.
Elbows Up
A year ago, uninvited American guests showed up in Greenland, handing out Make America Great Again hats. Weeks later, the territory saw its largest-ever demonstrations, pushing back against talk of U.S. expansion.
Since then, local shops have sold garments marked “Greenland is not for sale,” similar to the ball caps worn by Ontario Premier Doug Ford that declared “Canada is not for sale.”
In online forums and local media, Greenlanders appear to have watched closely as Trump spoke of making Canada a 51st state.
Last August, reports that officials in the Trump administration were actively seeking to promote Greenland’s secession from Denmark — even creating lists of those who support making the territory part of the U.S. — prompted Denmark to summon the U.S. ambassador in Copenhagen.
Still, the Americans have touched on a widespread desire for independence in the territory, whose political opposition has called for talks with Americans on a possible pact for sovereignty that could be partly bankrolled by American-developed mines.
This past Saturday, dozens marched in Iqaluit in solidarity with Greenland, in protest of Trump’s renewed threats to take control of the island some 825 kilometres away.
6)(Updated) Trump ties his stance on Greenland to not getting Nobel Peace Prize
Courtesy Barrie360.com and The Associated Press
By Aamer Madhani, Geir Moulson And Emma Burrows, January 19, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump linked his aggressive stance on Greenland to last year’s decision not to award him the Nobel Peace Prize, telling Norway’s prime minister that he no longer felt “an obligation to think purely of Peace,” in a text message released on Monday.
Trump’s message to Jonas Gahr Støre appears to ratchet up a standoff between Washington and its closest allies over his threats to take over Greenland, a self-governing territory of NATO member Denmark. On Saturday, Trump announced a 10% import tax starting in February on goods from eight nations that have rallied around Denmark and Greenland, including Norway.
Those countries issued a forceful rebuke.
Many longtime allies of the U.S. remained resolute that Greenland was not for sale but encouraged Washington to discuss solutions. In a statement on social media, the European Union’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc had “no interest to pick a fight” but would “hold our ground.”
The White House has not ruled taking control of the strategic Arctic island by force. Asked whether Trump could invade Greenland, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said on Monday that “you can’t leave anything out until the president himself has decided to leave anything out.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also sought to de-escalate tensions on Monday. “I think this can be resolved and should be resolved through calm discussion,” he said, adding that he did not believe military action would occur.
Strong opposition in Greenland to U.S. threats
In a sign of how tensions have increased in recent days, thousands of Greenlanders marched over the weekend in protest of any effort to take over their island. Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in a Facebook post Monday that the tariff threats would not change their stance.
“We will not be pressured,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s minister for business, minerals, energy, justice and equality, told The Associated Press that she was moved by the quick response of allies to the tariff threat and said it showed that countries realize “this is about more than Greenland.”
“I think a lot of countries are afraid that if they let Greenland go, what would be next?”
Trump cites Nobel as escalation in text to Norwegian leader
Trump’s Sunday message to Gahr Støre, released by the Norwegian government, read in part: “Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace.”
It concluded: “The World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland.”
The Norwegian leader said Trump’s message was a reply to an earlier missive sent on behalf of himself and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, in which they conveyed their opposition to the tariff announcement, pointed to a need to de-escalate, and proposed a telephone conversation among the three leaders.
“Norway’s position on Greenland is clear. Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Norway fully supports the Kingdom of Denmark on this matter,” the Norwegian leader said in a statement. “As regards the Nobel Peace Prize, I have clearly explained, including to President Trump what is well known, the prize is awarded by an independent Nobel Committee and not the Norwegian Government.”
The Norwegian Nobel Committee is an independent body whose five members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent defended the president’s approach in Greenland during a brief Q&A with reporters in Davos, Switzerland, which is hosting the World Economic Forum meeting this week.
“I think it’s a complete canard that the president would be doing this because of the Nobel,” Bessent said, immediately after saying he did not “know anything about the president’s letter to Norway.”
Trump has openly coveted the peace prize, which the committee awarded to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado last year. Last week, Machado presented her Nobel medal to Trump, who said he planned to keep it, though the committee said the prize can’t be revoked, transferred or shared with others.
Trump says he will use tariffs as a bargaining chip
In his latest threat of tariffs, Trump indicated they would be retaliation for last week’s deployment of symbolic numbers of troops from the European countries to Greenland — though he also suggested that he was using the tariffs as leverage to negotiate with Denmark.
European governments said that the troops traveled to the island to assess Arctic security, part of a response to Trump’s own concerns about interference from Russia and China.
They are now looking at setting up a more permanent military presence to help guarantee security in the Arctic region, a key demand of the United States, Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson said Monday.
Jonson said that European members of NATO are currently “doing what’s called a reconnaissance tour in order to identify what kind of needs there are when it comes to infrastructure and exercises and so forth.”
In a statement on social media, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he had discussed how important the region was for the “collective security” of the security alliance in a Monday meeting with the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland.
Six of the eight countries targeted are part of the 27-member European Union, which operates as a single economic zone in terms of trade. European Council President António Costa said Sunday that the bloc’s leaders expressed “readiness to defend ourselves against any form of coercion.” He announced a summit for Thursday evening.
___ Associated Press writers Josh Boak in West Palm Beach, Florida; Jill Lawless in London; Molly Quell in The Hague; Lorne Cook in Brussels and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report.
7) Europe warns of ‘dangerous downward spiral’ after Trump threatens tariffs over Greenland
Courtesy Barrie360.com and The Associated Press
By Stefanie Dazio, Jill Lawless And Emma Burrows, January 18, 2026
The eight European countries targeted by U.S. President Donald Trump for a 10% tariff for opposing American control of Greenland blasted the move Sunday, warning that his threats “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
The joint statement by some of America’s closest allies signaled a possible turning point in the recent tensions over sovereignty and security nearly 24 hours after Trump’s threat.
It was also the most forceful rebuke of Trump from the European allies since he returned to the White House almost a year ago. In recent months, Europeans have mostly opted for diplomacy and flattery around him, even when seeking an end to the war in Ukraine. Sunday’s statement, as well as some European countries sending troops to Greenland for a Danish military training exercise, appeared to be a step away from that strategy.
The unusually strong joint statement from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland said troops sent to Greenland for operation “Arctic Endurance” pose “no threat to anyone.”
Standing in solidarity with Denmark and Greenland
Trump’s Saturday announcement sets up a potentially dangerous test of U.S. partnerships in Europe. He appeared to indicate that he was using the tariffs as leverage to force talks over the status of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark that he regards as critical to U.S. national security.
“We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland,” the group said. “Building on the process begun last week, we stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind. Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
There are immediate questions about how the White House could try to implement the tariffs because the European Union is a single economic zone in terms of trading. It was unclear, too, how Trump could act under U.S. law, though he could cite emergency economic powers that are currently subject to a U.S. Supreme Court challenge.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said China and Russia will benefit from divisions between the U.S. and Europe. She added in a post on social media: “If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO. Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity.”
Europe has been trying to keep Trump on its side to ensure U.S. support for Ukraine, including Washington sharing intelligence with Kyiv and its involvement in security guarantees if a peace agreement is reached with Russia.
Rasmus Søndergaard, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, called Trump’s announcement “unprecedented” because tariff threats normally stem from trade disagreements, not territorial disputes between allies.
“That’s of course why we’re seeing the response from European countries saying ’enough is enough,’” he told The Associated Press. “I think there’s in part probably a strategic calculation, of course, from the governments in these countries that if you give in to Trump on this, what will be the next thing? And at some point you have to sort of push back.”
Søndergaard also said Trump leveled the playing field for Europe with the tariff threat. Europeans cannot compete militarily, but the EU can wield an economic weapon through reciprocal tariffs.
“The EU has the ability to really strike back with force if they want to, and it will hurt European economies,” he said. “It will hurt American economies. The challenge for Trump is he has midterms coming up and it’s not going to help him if the U.S. goes into more of an economic recession or more of a economic turmoil than is already the case.”
Trump’s move was also panned domestically.
U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, a former U.S. Navy pilot and Arizona Democrat, said Trump’s threatened tariffs on U.S. allies would make Americans “pay more to try to get territory we don’t need.”
“Troops from European countries are arriving in Greenland to defend the territory from us. Let that sink in,” Kelly wrote on social media. “The damage this President is doing to our reputation and our relationships is growing, making us less safe. If something doesn’t change we will be on our own with adversaries and enemies in every direction.”
Populist allies of Trump criticize the tariff threat
Six of the countries targeted are part of the 27-member EU, which operates as a single economic zone in terms of trading. It was not immediately clear if Trump’s tariffs would impact the entire bloc. EU envoys scheduled emergency talks Sunday evening to determine a potential response.
The tariff announcement also drew blowback from Trump’s populist allies in Europe.
Italy’s right-wing premier, Giorgia Meloni, considered one of Trump’s closest allies on the continent, said she had spoken to him about the tariffs, which she described as “a mistake.”
The deployment to Greenland of small numbers of troops by some European countries was misunderstood by Washington, Meloni said, adding it was not a move against the U.S. but aimed to provide security against “other actors” that she didn’t identify.
Jordan Bardella, president of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party in France and a European Parliament lawmaker, posted that the EU should suspend last year’s tariff deal with the U.S., describing Trump’s threats as “commercial blackmail.”
Trump also achieved the rare feat of uniting Britain’s main political parties — including the hard-right Reform UK party — all of whom criticized the tariff threat.
“We don’t always agree with the U.S. government and in this case we certainly don’t. These tariffs will hurt us,” said Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, a longtime champion and ally of Trump. His social media post stopped short of criticizing Trump’s designs on Greenland.
Meanwhile, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who leads the center-left Labour Party, said the tariffs announcement was “completely wrong” and his government would “be pursuing this directly with the U.S. administration.”
The foreign ministers of Denmark and Norway are also expected to address the crisis Sunday in Oslo during a news conference.
__ Lawless reported from London and Burrows reported from Nuuk, Greenland. John Leicester in Paris, Lorne Cook in Brussels, Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, Aamer Madhani in Washington and Josh Boak in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed.
8)Carney ‘concerned’ about U.S. ‘escalation’ on Greenland after tariffs
Courtesy Barrie360.com and Canadian Press
By Kyle Duggan, Jan. 18, 2025.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says he is “concerned” about U.S. “escalation” on its push to buy Greenland after it threatened to impose tariffs on eight European nations opposed to the U.S. plan for the self-governing Danish territory.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland will face a 10 per cent tariff starting Feb. 1.
Trump said that tariff will climb to 25 per cent on June 1 if no deal is in place for “the complete and total purchase of Greenland” by the United States.
“It’s a serious situation, and we’re concerned. We’re concerned about this escalation, to be absolutely clear,” Carney said at a news conference in Doha when asked about Greenland. “We always will support sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries wherever their geographic location is.”
Carney added that Canada’s position remains unchanged: that the future of Greenland should be determined by its people and Denmark.
The prime minister said Greenland is protected through NATO and Canada is committed to working with alliance partners in increasing Arctic defence capabilities.
“I had conversations with the NATO secretary-general in Paris 10 days ago… about how we’re going to further enhance that security umbrella. It’s something that Canada is working on already,” Carney said.
Canada’s latest defence policy warns of Chinese and Russian ambitions in the Arctic and says China’s interests “increasingly diverge from our own on matters of defence and security.”
That policy was released in May 2024, before Carney came to office and began a major reset of relations with China.
Carney sad Friday that he found “much alignment” with Chinses President Xi Jinping on Canadian and Greenlandic Arctic sovereignty.
He told reporters Friday that his government has increased Canada’s military presence in the Arctic “to 365 days a year on land, sea, and in the air.”
Carney says that he will share position on Greenland with Trump if he sees the president in Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum this week.
Trump insists the U.S. needs control of Greenland for national security reasons and has said he would take it over “whether they like it or not.”
Steve Bannon, former Trump chief strategist, said on his program “Bannon’s War Room” Saturday that Canada is “rapidly changing” and becoming “hostile” to the U.S.
“Canada is in the vital national security interest of the United States,” Bannon said.
“This is inextricably linked to Hemispheric defence. Hemispheric defence for the United States starts in Canada.”
— With files from Sarah Ritchie in Ottawa.