Trump walks back tariff threat against EU countries over Greenland | World News

US President Donald Trump has softened his stance on proposed tariffs against eight European countries over the Greenland dispute.

According to The Gurdian, Trump backed down from his threat to impose broad US tariffs on eight EU countries, stating that he had reached “the framework for a future agreement” on Greenland:

The president backtracked just four days after threatening severe import duties against some of the United States’ allies over their support for Greenland’s continued status as an autonomous Danish territory.

Trump announced on the Truth Social platform that the USA will not impose a 10% customs duty on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, England, the Netherlands and Finland as of February 1. It has also previously warned that tariffs could rise to 25% from June 1.

The threat sparked widespread concern and prompted criticism from senior European leaders and cautionary statements from economists, who said they “will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed”.

After what he described as a “very productive” meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday, Trump said he had created the “framework” for a deal on Greenland but did not provide further details.

“Based on this understanding, I will not impose the Tariffs scheduled to come into effect on February 1,” the President said.

Trump did not provide additional details about the agreement, but said negotiations were continuing regarding the US missile defense system, which will be partially deployed in Greenland.

He suggested at the Davos economic forum in Switzerland that the deal would last “forever”. Speaking to CNBC, he added: “We have a concept of an agreement. I believe it will be very good for both the US and them. It’s a little complicated, but we will give more details later.”

Denmark’s foreign minister said Trump’s refusal to use military force to take Greenland was a positive development.