'I Won't Use Force': Trump Makes Fresh Greenland Pitch In Davos, Says Only US Can Defend It

Last Updated:January 21, 2026, 19:43 IST

Donald Trump said that Greenland’s strategic importance was “much greater than people even understand,” suggesting recent global events had reinforced that view.

US President Donald Trump at Davos Summit

US President Donald Trump invoked World War II to argue that the United States has long played a decisive role in defending Greenland, reviving a controversial narrative about Washington’s historical involvement in the Arctic territory. Donald Trump told world leaders at Davos that Greenland’s strategic importance was “much greater than people even understand," suggesting recent global events had reinforced that view.

“I think they found that out two weeks ago in Venezuela," Donald Trump said, without elaborating. He went on to recall the events of World War II when Denmark was occupied by Nazi Germany in 1940.

“We saw this in World War II, when Denmark fell to Germany after just six hours of fighting and was totally unable to defend either itself or Greenland," Donald Trump said, asserting, “So the United States was then compelled."

Donald Trump said Washington felt an obligation to act and deployed forces to secure the territory.

“We did it. We felt an obligation to do it, to send our own forces to hold the Greenland territory. And hold it we did at great cost and expense," he said.

According to Donald Trump, US forces established military bases on the island and prevented hostile powers from gaining access.

“They didn’t have a chance of getting on it and they tried. Denmark knows that," he said, adding, “We literally set up bases on Greenland for Denmark. We fought for Denmark. We weren’t fighting for anyone else."

Donald Trump described Greenland in characteristically vivid terms, calling it a “big, beautiful piece of ice," and adding, “It’s hard to call it land. It’s a big piece of ice."

“But we saved Greenland," he said, “and successfully prevented our enemies from gaining a foothold in Africa."

Greenland, the world’s largest island, has been part of the Danish realm for centuries and today is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. During World War II, after Denmark was occupied by Germany, the Danish government was unable to exercise control over Greenland. Concerned that the island’s strategic location could be exploited by Axis powers, the United States assumed responsibility for its defence, establishing military installations and weather stations that supported Allied operations in the North Atlantic and Arctic regions.

That wartime presence later evolved into a long-term US military footprint, including the establishment of air bases that played a role during the Cold War. Greenland remains strategically significant today because of its location between North America and Europe and its proximity to Arctic shipping routes and military corridors.

News world 'I Won't Use Force': Trump Makes Fresh Greenland Pitch In Davos, Says Only US Can Defend It

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