US President Donald Trump is seen on a big screen as he delivers a special address during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos on January 21, 2026. FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, January 21, said he would not use force to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Washington's ally Denmark, but insisted the United States must still have "ownership."
"It's the United States alone that can protect this giant mass of land, this giant piece of ice, develop it and improve it," Trump told the World Economic Forum in Davos. "That's the reason I'm seeking immediate negotiations to once again discuss the acquisition of Greenland by the United States."
"We probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable, but I won't do that. Okay. Now everyone's saying, Oh, good. That's probably the biggest statement I made, because people thought I would use force," he said. "I don't have to use force. I don't want to use force. I won't use force."
Trump's claims over the Danish territory have dominated the meeting in the Swiss ski resort, where Trump landed by helicopter, stepping onto a red carpet laid in the snow. He arrived in Davos some two hours behind schedule, after an electrical issue earlier forced Air Force One to turn back to Washington.
