WASHINGTON, Jan 21 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump barrels into Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, and he is likely to use the World Economic Forum to escalate his push for acquiring Greenland despite European protests in the biggest fraying of transatlantic ties in decades.
Trump, who marked the end of his turbulent first year in office on Tuesday, is expected to overshadow the annual gathering that global elites use to discuss economic trends in the snowy Alpine resort of Davos.
Trump told a news conference on Tuesday that he would have meetings about the Danish territory of Greenland in Davos and was optimistic that an agreement could eventually be made.
“I think we will work something out where NATO is going to be very happy and where we’re going to be very happy. But we need it for security purposes. We need it for national security,” he said.
Asked how far he is willing to go to acquire Greenland, Trump offered a cryptic response. “You’ll find out,” he said.
In the days leading up to his visit to Davos, Trump has been unrelenting in making his case that “we need Greenland” as an Arctic security guardpost against Russia and China, and he has threatened a trade war with Europeans who oppose him.
Emboldened by his ousting of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and seizing control of that country’s oil, Trump has talked of acting against Cuba and Colombia as well as Iran. He has not ruled out the use of the U.S. military to snatch Greenland, which has an American military base.
Sources familiar with the situation have previously told Reuters that Trump’s push on Greenland is related to a legacy-building desire to expand the territory of the United States in the biggest way since 1959. That was when two U.S. territories – Alaska and Hawaii – became the 49th and 50th U.S. states under Republican President Dwight Eisenhower.
NATO leaders have warned that Trump’s Greenland strategy could upend the alliance. Trump has linked Greenland to his anger at not receiving a Nobel Peace Prize.
In a breach of diplomatic protocol, Trump released the text of a private message he received from French President Emmanuel Macron in which Macron urged Trump to join him and other G7 leaders in Paris after Davos, an idea Trump dismissed. “I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland,” wrote Macron.
Leaders of Denmark and Greenland have offered a wide array of ways for a greater U.S. presence on the strategic island but this has not placated Trump, who posted on social media on Tuesday a doctored image showing him planting an American flag on the territory of 57,000 people.
TRUMP TO UNVEIL HOUSING PLAN AT DAVOS
Trump’s original purpose for going to Davos was to talk up the strength of the U.S. economy.
He is giving a keynote address on Wednesday that he said he would use to discuss economic successes at home, despite opinion polls showing Americans are broadly unhappy with his handling of the economy. The White House said he would address the rising cost of housing with a plan to let Americans use money in their 401(k) retirement savings plans for down payments on homes.
“President Trump will unveil initiatives to drive down housing costs, tout his economic agenda that has propelled the United States to lead the world in economic growth, and emphasize that the United States and Europe must leave behind economic stagnation and the policies that caused it,” a White House official said.
During his stay, Trump plans to have separate meetings with the leaders of Switzerland, Poland and Egypt, the White House said.
On Thursday, Trump is due to preside over a ceremony celebrating the Board of Peace, a group he formed that is aimed at redeveloping Gaza amid a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Trump has drawn some worries by saying the Board of Peace may work on global crises beyond Gaza, a role traditionally performed by the United Nations.
Trump told a news conference on Tuesday he likes the United Nations but it has “never lived up to its potential.”
He returns to Washington late on Thursday.
(Reporting By Steve Holland and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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