Trump updates: US president says ‘framework’ reached for Greenland deal

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For more on Trump’s announcement of a framework for a Greenland deal, read our article here.

For a breakdown of Greenland’s strategic importance, read our explainer here.

For analysis on what Trump’s latest moves on Greenland, Venezuela and beyond mean for the global rules-based order, see here.

And for more on the status of Trump’s “board of peace” for Gaza, read our explainer here.

Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov says he has met in Davos with two of Trump’s top envoys -Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Writing on Telegram, Umerov said the talks centred on security guarantees for Ukraine
and a post-war ‌recovery plan.

Yesterday, Witkoff and Kushner also met with Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev, according to Russia’s state TASS news agency, with Witkoff calling the meeting “very positive”.

The Kremlin says Witkoff and Kushner are scheduled to meet with Putin in Moscow tomorrow.

This live page will soon close. Here are the day’s main developments:

• Trump, in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum, said he agreed on a framework for a Greenland deal and scrapped planned tariffs on European countries over the issue. He also backed away from his threatened tariffs on European goods.
• The announcement came hours after Trump delivered a speech in which he ruled out US military action to take Greenland, but renewed demands for talks to acquire it. He also called Denmark “ungrateful” for refusing to cede the territory.
• Denmark’s Foreign Minister described Trump’s move to avoid military action or tariffs as “positive” but stressed the dispute over Greenland is not over.
• A NATO spokesperson confirmed that “negotiations between Denmark, Greenland, and the United States will go forward”.
• Numerous states, including Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan and Qatar, have accepted Trump’s invitation to join the Gaza “board of peace”. Several world leaders, including Pope Leo XIV, Russia’s Putin and Italy’s Meloni, say they are considering the invitation.

Russia’s President Putin has now weighed in on Trump’s attempt to acquire Greenland, saying the issue has no bearing on Russia and that he believes the US and Denmark will likely resolve the issue.

Putin, quoted by Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency, said the situation brought to mind Russia’s 19th-century sale of Alaska to the US for $7.2m.

Based on that price, he estimated the current value of Greenland would be between $200m-$250m, according to Russia’s Ria Novosti news agency.

The Netherlands Prime Minister Dick Schoof is the latest European leader to react to Trump’s announcements on a Greenland deal framework, saying “it is positive that we are now on the path to de-escalation”.

“Now it is important that the US, Canada and Europe continue to work together within NATO to strengthen security in the Arctic region and counter threats from Russia and China,” said Schoof in a post on X.

It is positive that we are now on the path to de-escalation and that the 10 percent import tariffs are off the table. Now it is important that the US, Canada and Europe continue to work together within NATO to strengthen security in the Arctic region and counter threats from…

— Dick Schoof (@MinPres) January 21, 2026

Greenland has become a bit of a fixation for US President Donald Trump over the past few weeks. He wouldn’t rule out the use of force

Now, after meeting the NATO secretary-general, he came out in a bit of a surprise and said we’ve reached a concept of a deal [regarding Greenland]. He also posted on Truth Social that this deal is going to be a great one for the US and all NATO nations.

This comes after there had been a lot of domestic pushback [over Trump’s plans for Greenland]. There were Republican senators saying, if he did, in fact, use the military for Greenland, it could be an impeachable offence. The US stock market plummeted 24 hours ago on news of additional tariffs (on some European nations that expressed support for Denmark and Greenland). It has since climbed back. The American people also, they didn’t want this (a takeover of Greenland). And now the president says, “Oh, no need, I’ll tell you all about it later.”

Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard has said it appears Europe’s joint stance against the US taking control of Greenland seems to have “had an affect”, after Trump announced he would not impose planned tariffs on some European nations and had agreed to a framework for a Greenland deal.

“Good that Trump has now also backed down from tariffs against us, who have supported Denmark and Greenland,” said Stenergard in a Swedish-language post on X. “The demands for moved borders have received well-deserved strong criticism. That is also why we have repeatedly stated that we will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed.”

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has said his government is still reviewing Trump’s invitation to join his “Board of Peace” for Gaza, appearing to contradict an earlier claim by Trump that he had already accepted.

“The Russian Foreign Ministry has been charged with studying the documents that were sent to us and to consult on the topic with our strategic partners,” Putin said during a televised government meeting. “It is only after that we’ll be able to reply to the invitation.”

The US president says the firms that called him should “give the people a break,” as the Republican leader doubled ‌down on a proposal to cap credit card interest rates.

“I’ve had calls from credit card companies, people that are friends of mine, actually, and I treat them good. I respect them greatly, but they make a lot of money, they got to give the people a break,” Trump said in an interview on US financial news channel CNBC.

A spokesperson for the major security alliance says NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and the US president discussed Arctic security during their meeting, which Trump says produced a “framework” for a future deal on Greenland.

“Discussions among NATO allies on the framework the president referenced will focus on ensuring Arctic security through the collective efforts of allies, especially the seven Arctic allies,” the spokesperson said.

“Negotiations between Denmark, Greenland, and the United States will go forward aimed at ensuring that Russia and China never gain a foothold – economically or militarily – in Greenland.”

The US vice president will visit Minneapolis on Thursday to host a roundtable event with local leaders and community members during which he will talk about “restoring law and order in Minnesota,” the White House says.

Minneapolis, and the entire state of Minnesota, have become a flashpoint for violence and controversy since Trump directed ICE to begin a deportation crackdown there weeks ago.

Protests against immigration officers’ aggressive tactics occur daily, one of which led to the killing of Renee Good by ICE officers. Trump has also directed the Justice Department to investigate public officials in the state for encouraging protests.

The 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals paused a lower court’s order today that had restrained federal immigration agents’ use of force against peaceful protesters.

The Trump administration said on Saturday it was appealing a ruling by a federal judge that put limits on tactics employed by US immigration agents operating in Minneapolis, in the US state of Minnesota.

In a brief filing, lawyers for the Department of Justice told the court they were appealing an order issued by the judge last Friday that barred federal officers from arresting or tear-gassing peaceful demonstrators and observers.

That order has now been paused.

Europe has a lot to lose.

“A serious rupture with the US would likely reduce Europe’s access to critical military support, technology, intelligence, energy flows and parts of the financial and digital ecosystem,” Christine Nissen, chief analyst at the Copenhagen-based Think Tank Europa, told Al Jazeera.

That dependence is why Europe has usually tried hard so far not to clash with the US, she said.

“In the short term, Europe cannot meaningfully decouple without real capability and economic costs,” Nissen said.

Therefore, she added, Europe is unlikely to abruptly break from the US, but rather gradually shift away from it by building new trading partnerships and developing its production capabilities for essential goods and services.

“Over the past weeks, Europe has started to move more explicitly toward diversification as a strategic hedge: reducing single-supplier exposure, widening partnerships and strengthening internal resilience,” Nissen said.

“At the same time, there is a much stronger political focus on building European capabilities – in defence production, critical technologies, energy infrastructure and industrial capacity. The logic is not decoupling from the US, but lowering vulnerability and increasing European room for manoeuvre over time.

A billion dollars buys a seat at the table shaping Gaza’s future, but Palestinians are not invited.

As the United States moves into phase two of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, a so-called “board of peace” promises reconstruction, while conditions in Gaza remain unchanged and control stays firmly in outsiders’ hands.

Watch this episode of Al Jazeera’s The Take for a deep dive: