Trump backpedals on threats against Greenland, but allies say damage has been done

Amna Nawaz:

Welcome to the "News Hour."

Tonight, President Trump announced what he called the framework of a deal over Greenland, the Danish island that until today he threatened to take over, if needed, by military force.

Geoff Bennett:

There are not a lot of details at the moment, but the president said it would allow the U.S. to build missile defense bases and mine for minerals under Greenland's ice.

But even though President Trump has taken an off-ramp, many Europeans and Canadians say the damage has already been done to the U.S. relationship with its most trusted allies.

Nick Schifrin starts our coverage.

Nick Schifrin:

In Davos today, after a week of threats against the U.S.' closest allies, a week in which he tied a possible takeover of NATO territory to not winning the Nobel Peace Prize, President Trump walked back from the precipice.

President Donald Trump:

We have a concept of a deal. I think it's going to be a very good deal for the United States, also for them.

Nick Schifrin:

A deal for Greenland, the world's largest island which has been part of the kingdom of Denmark since 1721. President Trump said he would no longer tariff European allies over Greenland and the deal would allow the U.S. to expand its military presence on Greenland for a new missile defense network.

President Donald Trump:

The Golden Dome -- they're going to be involved in the Golden Dome, and they're going to be involved in mineral rights. And so are we.

Joe Kernen, CNBC Anchor:

Is -- you can't -- it's not specific enough to know at this point how long this lasts, how -- whether it's...

President Donald Trump:

Forever.

Joe Kernen:

Forever?

President Donald Trump:

It'll be forever.

Joe Kernen:

For Greenland at this point?

President Donald Trump:

Yes, forever.

Mark Rutte, NATO Secretary-General:

So you can be assured, absolutely, if ever the U.S. will be under attack, your allies will be with you.

Nick Schifrin:

The announcement came after President Trump met NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. And a NATO official says the deal will boost NATO presence around Greenland and the Arctic and block Russian and Chinese military and economic access to Greenland.

Earlier today, President Trump for the first time took the military option off the table.

President Donald Trump:

People thought I would use force. I don't have to use force. I don't want to use force. I won't use force.

Nick Schifrin:

But he once again saved his greatest grievances for America's greatest allies.

President Donald Trump:

The United States is treated very unfairly by NATO. We have helped them for so many years. We have never gotten anything. It's the United States alone that can protect this giant mass of land, this giant piece of ice, develop it and improve it.

Nick Schifrin:

Never mind that Greenland and Denmark insist the island is not for sale.

Narrator:

For the first time binds this country to a military agreement during days of peace.

Nick Schifrin:

And never mind that, for 77 years, the United States has anchored NATO's promise of collective defense for all members' territory.

President Donald Trump:

And all we're asking for is to get Greenland, including right, title and ownership, because you need the ownership to defend it. You can't defend it on a lease.

Nick Schifrin:

Greenland sits in the middle of the shortest route between the U.S. and Russia, and, for decades, it hosted multiple U.S. air defense bases. But after the Cold War, the U.S. closed all but one, which today is the U.S.' northernmost base.

President Donald Trump:

Greenland is sitting undefended in a key strategic location between the United States, Russia, and China.

European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen:

The threat of additional tariffs for security reasons is simply wrong.

Nick Schifrin:

But Trump's threats have deeply damaged transatlantic trust, leading European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen today to argue the U.S. is shooting itself in the foot.

Ursula Von Der Leyen:

If we are now plunging into a dangerous downward spiral between allies, this would only embolden the very adversaries we are both so committed to keeping out of the strategic landscape.

Nick Schifrin:

And, yesterday, of all countries, Canada suggested a new world order in which relatively smaller countries resist the superpowers, even neighbors.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney:

Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition. The middle powers must act together, because, if we're not at the table, we're on the menu. We shouldn't allow the rise of hard power to blind us to the fact that the power of legitimacy, integrity, and rules will remain strong if we choose to wield them together.

Nick Schifrin:

So even if there is a Greenland deal, this week perhaps finally proved that Trump's art of the deal and pressure tactics threaten the U.S.' oldest alliances.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Nick Schifrin.