#arctic-security

#arctic-security

EU leaders gathered for a hastily arranged summit in Brussels on Thursday evening, hours after most of them had been in Davos for the World Economic Forum amid the furore over Greenland caused by US President Donald Trump. The emergency summit was originally supposed to discuss a response to threats of fresh tariffs over Greenland. But US President Donald Trump's nebulous announcement of a "deal" appeared to have taken this specter off the table, at least in the immediate term.

1. Trump - whose speech at the World Economic Forum drew such demand that a stampede nearly broke out at the doors - claimed the Greenland deal gives the U.S. "everything we needed." Even with concessions falling far short of total control, Trump can tout the "Art of the Deal" to his base and retreat from an issue that polls even worse than his handling of the Epstein files. The "Trump Always Chickens Out" (TACO) mockery popularized on Wall Street may sting, but the president's MAGA machine is already moving to sell the deal as a total victory.

In our message to Trump we conveyed our opposition to his announced tariff increases against Norway, Finland and select other countries. We pointed to the need to de-escalate and proposed a telephone conversation between Trump, Stubb and myself on the same day. The response from Trump came shortly after the message was sent. It was his decision to share his message with other NATO leaders. Norway's position on Greenland is clear.