Trump retreated from NATO tariffs over Greenland but may cross a red line on US military bases there

In an interview with the New York Post, Trump said the U.S. will gain sovereignty over parts of Greenland that host American military bases—and take ownership of that land.

“Yeah,” he told the Post. “We’ll have everything we want. We have some interesting talks going on.”

But one of the proposals under discussion wouldn’t entail U.S. ownership of Greenlandic territory while still allowing sovereignty over bases, such as the Pituffik Space Base, the report added. 

Such an arrangement would mimic the sovereignty that the U.K. has over its military bases on Cyprus, a source told the Post.

The remarks came days after Trump pulled back his threat to impose tariffs on several NATO countries unless they supported his bid to control all of Greenland.

Following a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, he agreed to a “framework” on a future security deal. Details were sparse, but Trump indicated it would grant the U.S. “total access” to Greenland and would involve his “Golden Dome” missile-defense system.

At the time, a NATO spokesperson said that Rutte “did not propose any compromise to sovereignty during his meeting with President Trump,” adding that negotiations between Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. will proceed to ensure the island’s security from Russia and China.

But Trump’s claim that the U.S. will have sovereignty in Greenland where bases are located may trigger pushback from Europe.

On Thursday, Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen was asked if U.S. sovereignty over small pockets of the island might be possible. He replied, “we are ready to negotiate a better partnership and so on, but sovereignty is a red line.”

Similarly, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said “we cannot negotiate on our sovereignty” and added “I have been informed that this has not been the case.”

Her office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s interview.

Looming over negotiations on U.S. bases on Greenland is Trump’s unpredictability and tendency for sudden reversals.

The fragility of any agreements made by Trump was highlighted by the Greenland crisis, during which he also refused to rule out using the U.S. military against NATO allies.

Despite reaching a trade deal with the European Union last year that set most tariffs at 15%, he vowed to hit EU and non-EU countries with an additional 10% duty that would rise to 25%.

Trump has also demonstrated a renewed eagerness to turn to tariffs as a foreign policy tool. On Saturday, he said the U.S. would impose a 100% tariff on Canada if it makes a trade deal with China, days after he voiced his approval of one.

It wasn’t clear from Trump’s social media post on Saturday if his latest threat against Ottawa would also remove the tariff exemption on imports covered by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade pact.

In addition, he said earlier this month the U.S. will impose secondary levies on countries that trade with Iran as he seeks to squeeze Tehran amid anti-regime protests. That could blow up his tariff ceasefire with China, which imports oil from Iran.