'Very important deal': Trump says Greenland negotiations ‘pretty well agreed to’

Trump calls Greenland talks ‘well agreed to,’ stresses national security importance

• Trump says US-Greenland negotiations are close to agreement
• Talks focus on Arctic security and mineral access, details remain undisclosed
• US, Denmark, and Greenland form a working group for technical talks.

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US President Donald Trump on Saturday said negotiations over Greenland are underway and close to an agreement, describing the talks as “very important” from a national security perspective.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Florida, Trump said, “We have started a negotiation, and I think it’s pretty well agreed to. I mean, they want us to do it. I think it’s gonna be a good deal for everybody, very important deal actually, from a national security point of view, very, very important deal. I think we’re going to make a deal there.”

Trump did not specify whether he had spoken recently with European leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron or UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The announcement follows initial discussions between Denmark, Greenland, and the US, which Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen described as “going well,” although the dispute over the Arctic island’s future remains unresolved.

Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt met with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on January 14, establishing a working group to discuss Greenland and Arctic security.

Rasmussen acknowledged that progress had stalled after Trump threatened tariffs on European countries unless Greenland was transferred to the US. “After that there was a huge derailment,” he said, adding that the first working-group meeting “went well and took place in a constructive atmosphere and tone.” He noted that further talks are planned and said he is “a little more optimistic” than a week earlier.

Trump’s earlier aggressive statements included a proposed 10 percent tariff on European allies, which he later withdrew. During the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos on January 21, he clarified that the US would not use military force to acquire Greenland and that a “framework of a deal” had been reached with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on mineral access and security rights, though the details remain undisclosed.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that technical-level talks among the US, Denmark, and Greenland are ongoing. “It begins today and it will be a regular process,” he said, emphasizing that discussions would avoid media spectacle to allow flexibility for a positive outcome.

Trump’s comments indicate a cautious shift in approach, balancing US strategic interests in the Arctic with European concerns and maintaining focus on Greenland’s security and resources.