Balance of Power

Rutte Pulls Trump Back from Brink on Greenland

Greenland’s sovereignty, a red line for Denmark, wasn’t discussed.

A demonstrator holds a Greenland poster at a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New York on Jan. 20.Photographer: Adam Gray/Bloomberg

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By Flavia Jackson and Sanne Wass

January 22, 2026 at 10:59 AM UTC

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What’s in a “framework” is the question on everyone’s lips after Donald Trump took brinkmanship over Greenland to the limits, only to seemingly walk it all back in the space of a few hours.