Trump Says He Will Not Use Force to Acquire Greenland

President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would not use force to acquire Greenland, the first time he has ruled out using military action to acquire the territory.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump lamented that the United States “probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be, frankly, unstoppable.”   

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“But I won’t do that,” he added. “That’s probably the biggest statement I made, because people thought I would use force. I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.”

Read more: The Five Ways Europe Could Respond to Trump’s Greenland Threat

“All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland,” he continued.

The comments come amid a prolonged campaign by Trump to annex the island, which is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark.

That campaign has become increasingly confrontational in recent weeks, prompting a rift between the U.S. and longtime European allies. Trump had begun to raise the example of the U.S. military’s operation in Venezuela to remove President Nicolas Maduro when discussing his designs on Greenland, prompting fears that he may use military action to seize the territory.

Over the weekend, he announced tariffs on eight European countries for taking part in military exercises on the island. That in turn prompted a furious reaction and threats of retaliatory economic measures.

Earlier this week, Trump said there was “no going back” on his push to acquire Greenland.

This is a developing story.