Global & US Headlines
Trump Shelves EU Tariffs After NATO Crafts Open-Ended Greenland–Arctic Framework
On 22 Jan 2026, Donald Trump cancelled 10% tariffs set for 1 Feb on eight European NATO members after he and Secretary-General Mark Rutte agreed in Davos to a still-undefined, permanent “framework” giving the U.S. expanded security and mineral rights in Greenland and the wider Arctic.
Focusing Facts
- Planned U.S. tariffs on goods from the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland—10% from 1 Feb and rising to 25% on 1 Jun—were formally withdrawn in Trump’s Truth Social post on 22 Jan 2026.
- The framework emerged from a same-day meeting in Davos between Trump and NATO chief Mark Rutte; Trump told CNBC the deal has “no time limit” and will last “forever.”
- Officials briefed to The New York Times say Denmark may cede limited Greenlandic land for new U.S. bases tied to Trump’s $175 billion “Golden Dome” space-layer missile-defence system.
Context
Great-power deals for ice-rim real estate have precedent: the U.S. bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 m and quietly occupied Greenland under a 1941 treaty while Denmark was under Nazi rule. Trump’s tariff-for-territory gambit echoes Theodore Roosevelt’s 1903 Panama tactics—economic and military pressure to secure strategic geography—yet it lands in a 21st-century scramble for an ice-melting Arctic where shipping lanes, rare-earths and missile arcs converge. The episode underscores two longer arcs: Washington’s return to coercive economic statecraft last seen at scale in the 1930 Smoot-Hawley era, and NATO’s internal strain as allies weigh U.S. security guarantees against unilateral American leverage. Whether the “forever” framework endures will matter less than the signal: Arctic governance is shifting from scientific cooperation to militarised spheres of influence. A century from now, this week may be recalled as an inflection where climate-exposed frontier zones became currency in power politics again, or it may fade like forgotten 19th-century island purchases if greener technologies and multilateral law outpace ice retreat.
Perspectives
Chinese state-owned media
e.g., China Daily — Trump’s suspension of tariffs after the Davos meeting shows the U.S. extracting major security and mineral concessions from Europe, proving Washington got “everything it wanted” on Greenland. By spotlighting U.S. coercion and NATO disarray, Beijing-controlled outlets can paint America as an aggressive hegemon and divert attention from China’s own Arctic ambitions.
Mainstream Western outlets critical of Trump
e.g., BBC, Reuters — The dramatic two-week Greenland standoff illustrates Trump’s impulsive brinkmanship that rattled allies and inflicted lasting damage on NATO cohesion even if a face-saving framework is now claimed. Focusing on chaos and ‘imperialist’ undertones feeds an anti-Trump narrative and may underplay strategic worries about Russia and China to emphasise alliance fracture.
Right-leaning U.S. media supportive of Trump
e.g., The Daily Caller, Daily Caller News Foundation — Linking Greenland to broader Arctic security, outlets praise Trump-era leadership for confronting China’s strategic expansion and safeguarding the Indo-Pacific through NATO cooperation. Echoing administration talking points about Chinese threats, these sources largely gloss over European anger and the ethical issues of acquiring territory, steering the story toward a pro-Trump, anti-China frame.