US President preparing Greenland options for Davos as EU considers retaliatory measures amid Trump takeover bid.
Media: US Preparing “Puerto Rico Option” for Greenland
Kyiv Post has learned that the US President has instructed his team to prepare several options regarding Greenland to be proposed to European allies in Davos. This comes as the EU considers retaliatory tariffs, sanctions, and even its nuclear economic option in response to Donald Trump’s announcement of taking over Greenland.
“This is the most serious transatlantic crisis we have seen since the Iraq War,” a senior Western official quoted by Kyiv Post said. One option is a 99-year lease of the Danish-owned island, aiming to “ease European outrage while ensuring de facto US control over the resource-rich Arctic island.” Another is the “Puerto Rico option,” offering Greenlanders the same rights as Puerto Rican residents: US citizenship, full bilateral access, trade privileges, and exemption from US income tax, with the option to relocate to the US.
Puerto Rico is an associated territory of the US, dependent on Washington, but only selected elements of the US Constitution apply there. The US has four such territories: Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Puerto Rico has a commonwealth status.
USA-EU Trade War
On Saturday, Trump announced 10% tariffs on Denmark and seven other European countries that sent soldiers to Greenland, set to take effect in February. In a joint statement, leaders of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland warned that “tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk dangerous feedback loops.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called Trump’s tariffs a “mistake,” while Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel described them as “blackmail.” “Davos will be a moment of truth,” one of the newspaper’s sources concluded.
Start of Economic Forum in Davos
On Monday, January 19, in Davos, eastern Switzerland, the World Economic Forum will begin under the theme “The Spirit of Dialogue.” In the evening, the President of Poland will fly to Davos.
On Tuesday, Karol Nawrocki will meet, among others, with the President of Armenia, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and attend a dinner hosted by WEF Chairman Børge Brende. On Wednesday, he will participate in a discussion on Europe’s defense capabilities and meet with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof. Finance and Economy Minister Andrzej Domański will also be a participant in one of the panels.