Greenland deal tied to U.S. military presence in Europe

“I haven’t made a final decision yet. A lot will depend on Greenland and whether we strike a very good deal regarding Greenland. If not, I might do it,” Trump said when asked about the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Europe.

The president added that the decision would also depend on developments in Iran. Tensions have escalated between the parties in recent days. Currently, the United States is conducting strikes against Iranian targets. Trump commented on the purported shift in European partners’ attitudes toward the conflict. “When they had the chance and the opportunity to help, they chose not to. But we kind of forget about that. Now they want to help, everyone wants to go there and they really want to help, but we don’t actually need help. These are small things.”

Donald Trump left the Ankara summit in a rather positive mood. He concluded that the allies “made some concessions” and believed that “NATO has also made progress.” He also praised Spain, a country with which he had been in conflict over its low defence spending and the refusal of local authorities to allow the use of its bases in the Middle Eastern conflict. As recently as Wednesday, the U.S. President had threatened Madrid with a total halt to trade. By the end of the day, however, he acknowledged that Spain “completely changed its position” and “was very generous today.” He also praised the presidents of Turkey, Ukraine, and Syria.

Trump’s position regarding the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Europe remains uncertain. What can be seen is that the U.S. President keeps using this case as leverage against European partners. Denmark will not abandon its authority over Greenland and other European countries seem to support Copenhagen’s position. Europe is also unlikely to actively engage in the Iranian conflict. There is a real chance that Trump ultimately backs down in order not to further damage relations with Europe. If not, we should expect at least a partial withdrawal of troops from the region, especially from those countries that get a lot of criticism from the U.S. President.