21 January 2026 – Following Donald Trump’s appearance in Davos, there was an immediate political and economic reaction both in Europe and within the transatlantic alliance. On the evening of the same day, Trump announced that he would not impose the previously threatened tariffs against several European countries, after, according to his own account, reaching a kind of “framework agreement” with the NATO Secretary General for further talks on Greenland and the entire Arctic region, which is intended to serve as a basis for future negotiations. Trump stated that the new tariff measures planned for 1 February would therefore not be introduced, while at the same time making clear that discussions on security-related issues, including possible defense initiatives in the Arctic, would continue. In Europe, the earlier tariff threats had temporarily led the European Parliament to suspend further steps on a previously negotiated EU–US trade agreement in order to review its position toward the US demands. While the announcement of the framework agreement helped to ease tensions in the short term, the issue of Arctic security and the political future of Greenland remains an ongoing topic in talks between Washington, Copenhagen and Brussels.
Marcel Schütz, PolarJournal