DAVOS / BRUSSELS — President Donald Trump has called off planned tariffs on European countries that had opposed his push to gain control of Greenland, citing progress toward a “framework of a future deal” reached in discussions with European leaders at the World Economic Forum and NATO partners, according to administration officials.
Wednesday’s decision represents a sharp reversal in a weeks-long dispute that had seen him threaten 10% tariffs starting Feb. 1 on imports from eight European nations, rising to 25% by June unless a Greenland agreement was reached. The original tariff threat had sparked intense backlash across Europe, with leaders saying it jeopardized transatlantic ties and even stalled progress on a long-planned U.S.-EU trade agreement.
U.S. officials framed the developments as a response to productive talks with European counterparts, including discussions with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who is also NATO secretary general, toward a conceptual framework for future commercial and security cooperation on Arctic issues. Trump said the tariffs would be shelved “now that a solution has been found” if talks continue in good faith.
The precise details of the framework agreement have not been fully released, but U.S. and European diplomats described it as a nonbinding understanding to work on mutual interests in Greenland’s economic development, defense cooperation, and trade relations. Negotiators plan follow-up sessions in Brussels.
European leaders had reacted strongly to Trump’s tariff threats, warning of a “downward spiral” in transatlantic relations and saying the measures would undermine the EU-U.S. trade deal that was nearing ratification. European Union authorities had already paused approval of the trade agreement — a pact meant to cut or eliminate tariffs on many industrial goods — amid the Greenland dispute.
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