Banners at the USA House during the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 20, 2026.
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(Davos, Switzerland) – The World Economic Forum was held in Davos this week. President Trump arrived against the backdrop of growing tensions over Greenland. The self-governing island is an autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, but President Trump insists owning it is vital to U.S. national security. He just recently ruled out the use of force to do so.
His push to acquire Greenland sparked unprecedented concern among NATO allies. Trump has threatened tariffs on European allies that oppose his plans and the EU is considering retaliatory tariffs. Trump’s Gaza Board of Peace was also in the spotlight at Davos.
According to Reuters, business leaders from finance, crypto, consulting, and major multinational firms have been invited to a White House–organized reception in Trump’s honor following his special address at Davos on Wednesday. More than 3,000 delegates from 130 countries, including 64 heads of state, are attending Davos this year – but Trump’s presence has turned the forum into a de facto referendum on U.S. power.
Trump said the U.S. and European allies will work together on the U.S. Golden Dome defense system and mineral rights in Greenland and will last forever. He added it’s under a framework he reached with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Trump has said the U.S. “needs Greenland” for national security and something must be done before Russia or China move in. The self-governing Danish territory sits strategically between the U.S. and Europe.
When announcing the deal framework he also said he will not be imposing tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st. Earlier today he ruled out using force to acquire Greenland. The announcement followed a NATO meeting January 21st in which top military officers from the alliance’s member states discussed a compromise in which Denmark would give the United States sovereignty over small pockets of Greenlandic land. The United States could build military bases on them. (Britain has a similar arrangement with its bases in Cyprus.)
NATO said in a statement that “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.”
Meanwhile at the “Board of Peace” event, representatives from countries including Argentina, Kosovo, Saudia Arabia and Turkey signed the charter. Israel, which said it would join, was notably absent from the signing ceremony. The Board of Peace is intended to find a governing solution to Gaza, which has been contentious to Israeli officials.
V0olodymyr Zelensky also met with Trump to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. The first-ever trilateral meeting between Ukraine, Russia and the U.S. is expected to be held in the United Arab Emirates Friday and Saturday. The trilateral meeting comes as the war between Russia and Ukraine nears the four-year mark.
