A united Europe helped push the USA to de-escalate its recent threats linked to Greenland, Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Thursday, after President Donald Trump ruled out using force and dropped a tariff warning following talks with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Davos.
Kristersson’s line after the Davos turnaround on Greenland
Speaking at a press briefing on Sweden’s security situation, Kristersson argued that Europe’s response in recent days showed the value of acting together when an ally applies pressure. The prime minister described the USA’s rhetoric towards Denmark and Greenland as “threatening and mocking”, and said the lesson for the coming years is that European governments should defend their interests “clearly”, including vis-à-vis Washington.
Kristersson also said the talks on Greenland’s future must take place “on Denmark’s terms”, summarising the principle as: no discussions about Denmark without Denmark.
“We will not be blackmailed”: Sweden’s message on tariffs and sovereignty
Kristersson’s comments come after weeks of escalating statements from Trump about Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, and after Washington’s threat to use tariffs as leverage against European countries supporting Denmark.
On Wednesday, Trump said the USA would not use force to take Greenland and rolled back the immediate tariff threat, presenting this as the result of a “framework” reached with NATO chief Mark Rutte. Publicly available details about the framework remain limited, and Kristersson said he did not know what it contains.
Still, Stockholm’s message was that Europe should not accept coercive tactics between allies. Kristersson said Europe should not be “blackmailed” and that concessions born out of deference do not work.
Tariffs may return, Kristersson warns
Kristersson said he could not assume the tariff threat is permanently off the table, arguing that tariffs recur frequently in USA political messaging and can resurface in response to unrelated disputes. The caution reflects broader European concern that a transatlantic trade shock could be triggered quickly, even in parallel with ongoing cooperation on Ukraine.
Sweden heads to Brussels as EU leaders coordinate next steps
Kristersson said he would travel to Brussels for an extraordinary EU leaders’ meeting focused on security and transatlantic relations. He also said Sweden will convene an extraordinary meeting of its national security council over the weekend, reflecting what the government described as the most serious security environment since World War II.
For Stockholm, the Greenland dispute has become part of a wider test: how Europe responds when strategic dependence, Arctic security and economic pressure collide. The Nordic perspective is particularly direct because Denmark is at the centre of the confrontation, while Sweden and Finland are now NATO members and the region’s Arctic posture is increasingly tied to allied planning.
As EU leaders meet, the key question is whether Europe can keep a common line—on sovereignty, on tariffs and on Arctic security—while avoiding a deeper rupture with the USA that would weaken deterrence against Russia in the High North.
