President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he is canceling new tariffs on eight European countries. The tariffs were planned over their support for Greenland. Trump said a “framework of a future deal” has been reached regarding the island.
The tariffs were set to start at 10% on February 1 and rise to 25% in June. They would have affected Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Norway, and the U.K.
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social after meeting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He did not clarify whether the deal involves the U.S. acquiring Greenland but called it “the ultimate long-term deal.”
Earlier, Trump had suggested military action to take control of Greenland. On Wednesday, he backed off that threat but continued to push for U.S. involvement in the territory. He said the U.S. is best suited to protect Greenland from rivals like China and Russia.
Trump said Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff would be part of ongoing Greenland negotiations. He added that “further information will be made available as discussions progress.”
The European Union paused a trade deal agreed with the U.S. last year due to Trump’s tariff threats. It is unclear when or if the EU will resume the deal after the tariffs were canceled.
Trump’s comments at Davos came after European leaders publicly opposed his tariff threats. He criticized Denmark for being “ungrateful” for U.S. support during World War II and repeated his long-standing wish for the U.S. to acquire Greenland.
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