Trump Confirms Greenland Meeting at Davos After Rutte Call

US President Donald Trump said he had agreed to a meeting of “various parties” over Greenland at the World Economic Forum in Davos, after holding a “very good” telephone call with Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte. On his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, Trump wrote: “I had a very good telephone call with Mark Rutte, the Secretary General of Nato, concerning Greenland.” He added that he had “agreed to a meeting of the various parties in Davos, Switzerland”. “As I expressed to everyone, very plainly, Greenland is imperative for National and World security. There can be no going back,” he wrote. Trump’s comments come amid escalating tensions between Europe and Washington over the US president’s threats to seize the vast Arctic island. Denmark on Monday sent a “substantial contribution” of soldiers and the head of its army to the autonomous territory, on top of the more than 200 troops already present there. Trump on Tuesday posted what appeared to be an AI-generated image of himself, vice-president JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio in Greenland with an American flag and a sign reading: “US territory EST 2026.” The US president’s threat to impose 10 per cent tariffs on European states has raised the spectre of a trade war with the region, plunging the transatlantic relationship into crisis. On Monday at Davos, US Treasury secretary Scott Bessent dismissed the EU’s ability to quickly agree a forceful response to Trump’s Greenland-related tariffs, predicting the bloc would likely form “the dreaded European working group” rather than take rapid action. Trump on Tuesday attacked the UK’s plans to “give away the Island of Diego Garcia”, citing the deal signed by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in May to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius as “another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired”. Trump also posted screenshots of text messages apparently from Rutte, praising him for his “incredible” accomplishment in Syria and saying he was “committed to finding a way forward on Greenland”. Trump also posted text messages from Emmanuel Macron, in which the French president said: “I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland.” Macron also suggested convening a G7 meeting at Davos, to which he would invite Ukraine, Denmark, Syria and Russia. Donald Trump has accused the UK of “stupidity” and “weakness” over its plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands including the US air base of Diego Garcia to Mauritius, saying it indicates why the US needs to own Greenland. ‘Shockingly, our “brilliant” NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital U.S. Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER. There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness,” Trump said via a Truth Social post. “The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired.” The UK has has signed a long-term deal to hand sovereignty of the islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius. Britain will pay more than £100mn a year to guarantee the future of a joint US-UK air base.