President Donald Trump intensified his pressure campaign via a series of late-night social media posts. Following Monday’s backlash from multiple world leaders over his threat to impose tariffs on European allies unless Denmark sells Greenland to the U.S., Trump stated he’d had a “very good” conversation with NATO chief Mark Rutte and hinted at an upcoming meeting to address the growing dispute over the Danish territory.
“I’ve agreed to a meeting of all relevant parties in Davos, Switzerland. As I made clear to everyone, Greenland is critical to national and global security. There’s no turning back on this—everyone agrees,” Trump said, noting that the U.S. is “the only power capable of ensuring global peace, and we do it through strength, plain and simple.”
No further details about the meeting were released, though Trump is scheduled to speak at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters on Wednesday and will probably have several private meetings during his visit.
Both Greenland and Denmark have repeatedly said the Arctic island isn’t for sale, with Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen declaring last week: “If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark right now, we choose Denmark.” But Trump hasn’t backed down, and in a move that’s worried leaders worldwide, the White House hasn’t ruled out using military force to take over the territory.
Greenland’s location between the U.S., Russia, and Europe makes it a key geopolitical asset, and Trump has claimed Denmark can’t be trusted to defend the island against Russian and Chinese influence.
Last week, several European countries—part of NATO’s push to strengthen Greenland’s security—pledged to send troops there for military drills. Trump retaliated by announcing a 10% tariff on all goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, and the U.K. starting Feb. 1, with a hike to 25% on June 1.
Trump’s use of economic leverage sparked anger not just from European leaders but also from some members of his own party, who called it “unnecessary, punitive, and a profound mistake.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a rare public criticism of Trump’s actions in a Monday morning video address from Downing Street. While stressing the strong U.S.-U.K. alliance, he said such measures “aren’t the right way to resolve disagreements among allies, nor is it useful to use efforts to boost Greenland’s security as an excuse for economic pressure.”
Unlike some European leaders who’ve suggested retaliatory tariffs or using the Anti-Coercion Instrument (which could limit U.S. access to the single market—where the U.S. has a surplus—and block E.U. contract bids), Starmer wanted to lower tensions. “A trade war benefits no one,” he said, rejecting retaliation.
While Starmer was optimistic that “calm talks between allies” would lead to progress, Trump—during his late-night social media spree—slammed a recent U.K. geopolitical move and used it to underscore his Greenland stance.
Trump called the U.K.’s plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius “an act of great stupidity.” The U.K. bought the islands for roughly £3 million ($4 million) in 1968, but Mauritius claims it was forced to give up the land illegally to gain independence from Britain. Under the deal signed last year, the U.K. will (Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos Islands, currently hosts a strategic U.K.-U.S. military base.)
“China and Russia have definitely noticed this act of total weakness—they’re powers that only respect strength,” Trump said, adding that the U.K.’s move is “another in a long list of national security reasons why Greenland must be acquired. Denmark and its European allies need to do the right thing.”
A U.K. government official told TIME in response to Trump’s comments: “We will never compromise our national security. We acted because the Diego Garcia base was at risk—court rulings weakened our position and would have stopped it from functioning as intended.”
They added that the deal “has been publicly supported by the U.S., Australia, and all other Five Eyes allies, plus key partners like India, Japan, and South Korea.”
Meanwhile, to further show his Greenland goals, Trump shared a digitally created image of himself—alongside Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio—planting an American flag next to a sign that says “Greenland, U.S. territory, EST. 2026.” He also posted a photo of himself in the Oval Office last year with several European leaders, including Starmer, but the image had been altered to show him holding a fake map of Greenland covered with the U.S. flag.
Shortly after Trump’s online comments, amid rising tensions, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed the U.K. Parliament on Tuesday morning “in honor of America’s Semiquincentennial celebration.” He’s the first U.S. House Speaker to do so. Standing with U.K. Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Johnson acknowledged the politically fraught context of his visit and said he hoped to “help calm the waters.”
“We’ve always resolved our differences calmly as friends, and we’ll keep doing that. I want to assure you this morning that’s still true,” Johnson told British lawmakers.
