U.S. President Donald Trump, who has strongly pressured European countries to secure Greenland, which is Danish territory, has entered negotiations with European countries that have opposed a U.S. annexation of Greenland.

Trump pledged not to use military force, a prospect many had feared. He also withdrew tariffs he had planned to use to pressure Europe, in a sign tensions between the United States and Europe have eased for now.

Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social on Tuesday that, based on a "very productive" meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (마르크 뤼터), he had created a framework for a future agreement on Greenland and virtually the entire Arctic region.

He wrote that if the solution is implemented it would be very beneficial to the United States and all NATO member states. He added that based on that understanding he would not impose tariffs that had been set to take effect on Feb. 1.

Earlier, Trump had said he would impose U.S. tariffs of 10 percent from Feb. 1 and 25 percent from June 1 on eight countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Finland, after they dispatched troops to Greenland out of concern about a possible U.S. forced annexation.

At the time, those countries sent troops to Greenland after Trump even raised the possibility of military action to annex the territory. Trump then brought out the tariff threat, and a phase of "hardline confrontation" continued between the United States and its NATO allies.

Trump met Rutte at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday to discuss Greenland, and the talks appear to have reached some degree of agreement.

Trump did not explain the agreement in detail but said Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff and, if necessary, various other people would handle negotiations and report directly to him.

He also said further discussions are under way on Golden Dome, the United States' next-generation air missile defence system, in connection with Greenland. He said more information would be provided as discussions progress.

After announcing the agreement on social media, Trump said in an interview with CNBC that Golden Dome and mineral rights would be part of the Greenland deal.

The Trump administration has argued that to defend the U.S. mainland from missile attacks by Russia or China, the United States must secure Greenland because it is close to missile trajectories. Large mineral deposits in Greenland have also been seen as a reason Trump has eyed the territory.

In the interview, Trump said the United States would cooperate on something related to Greenland as well as the entire Arctic, and that it is related to security. He predicted the agreement would last "forever".

Asked whether Denmark, which owns Greenland, also agreed to the deal, he said Rutte was representing other countries' positions.

He also said he does not think the United States will fight NATO, reiterating that he does not intend to annex Greenland by force.

Earlier on Tuesday, Trump said in a Davos Forum speech he would not use military force to achieve his view that the United States should take ownership of Greenland.

In a CNBC interview, Trump was asked whether deploying U.S. assets such as an aircraft carrier to Iran was preparation for further military action. He replied, "I hope there is no further action. But as you know, they (Iran) are indiscriminately shooting people in the streets."

He said the U.S. military recently ordered 25 more B-2 stealth bombers, which were used when the United States bombed Iranian nuclear facilities last year, reaffirming his position that he would not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons.

On naming a candidate for the next Federal Reserve chair, Trump said, "In my head, maybe it has narrowed down to one person," suggesting a decision is imminent.

Asked what he would do if Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell stayed on as a Fed governor after his term as chair ends in May this year, Trump warned, "If that happens, his life will not be very, very happy."

[Yonhap News Agency]