The eyes of the world are on the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday.
Donald Trump is expected to give a speech here on Wednesday morning Greenlandic time, and it is eagerly awaited what the president will say - not least whether he will address the ongoing conflict with the Kingdom over Greenland's affiliation.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has already held a press conference in Davos, where he repeated Donald Trump's demand that Greenland should be handed over to the US.
Trump praises his own achievements
A little after 11:30, the speech is now underway, and Trump begins praising his own achievements as president in the first 12 months of his second presidential term.
- I have come to this World Economic Forum with truly phenomenal news from the United States. (...) Our economy is booming. Incomes are rising. Deflation has been defeated. Our borders have been closed, says Trump, who also talks about the fact that record-high investments in the United States have also been secured in the first year.
- We were a dead country; now we are the hottest country anywhere in the world.
- It's all good news and good for all nations. When America booms, the whole world booms. When it goes bad, it goes bad for everyone. You follow us down, and you follow us up, says Trump.
Harsh criticism of Europe
Trump is now moving on to harsh criticism of Europe.
He says that some places in Europe are completely unrecognizable, and European policy in a number of areas has failed. He mentions production and energy policy, among others.
He believes that European countries can learn a lot from the economic policies implemented in the United States at his behest.
Trump is again talking about economic results in the United States, where he says that the US trade deficit has decreased.
- We help Venezuela
Donald Trump says he is in the process of making an agreement with Venezuela for oil supplies, and he says that Venezuela will make a lot of money as a result of the regime being ready to make agreements with the United States.
- Venezuela was a great country twenty years ago, but things went wrong, and now we are helping them.
- We have had good cooperation after the attack stopped. When it ended, they said: let's just make a deal. More people should do that.
Donald Trump returns to harsh criticism of Europe's focus on renewable energy.
Entering Greenland: After the war we gave it back to Denmark - want negotiations
Now the president is entering Greenland.
- I have enormous respect for both the people of Greenland and Denmark. But every NATO ally has a duty to defend its territories. And only the United States can defend Greenland, says Donald Trump.
"- "Peace of ice" - it's hard to call that country. It's a piece of ice," he continues.
He then touches on actions during World War II:
- Denmark fell to Germany within a few hours of fighting during World War II.
"We defended Greenland during World War II," Trump says, repeating that only the United States has the means to defend Greenland.
- Without us, you would all be speaking German and a little Japanese right now.
After the war, we gave it back to Denmark. How stupid we were. But now they are ungrateful, says Donald Trump.
Donald Trump says he wants immediate negotiations to hand over Greenland to the United States.
- Underdeveloped and undefended
He further says that Greenland is underdeveloped:
- Greenland is a huge, almost completely uninhabited and underdeveloped place. It lies unguarded.
"We need it for strategic reasons, for national security reasons and international security reasons. This island is actually part of North America. It's our territory," Trump said.
He says that it is not a threat to NATO that the US gets Greenland, but it will strengthen the alliance. The US is being treated unfairly in the alliance right now, says Trump.
After talking about the NATO alliance, Trump returns to Greenland. It is unclear what he specifically means, but he says he will not use force to get what he wants:
- With excessive strength and power, we would be unstoppable. But I will not do that. All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland, says Donald Trump.
- Who the hell wants to defend a licensing agreement - won't use force
Trump says that if there is a war, much of it will take place over Greenland, where missiles will fly.
He returns to the fact that the United States has paid to NATO for many years without getting anything in return and that the United States will not defend something that has been leased, with reference to Greenland:
- All we ask is to get Greenland, including the right to property, because you need ownership to defend it. Who the hell wants to defend a lease agreement?
The US paid for NATO and never got anything out of it, Trump believes.
Donald Trump says he will not use force. The statement comes while talking about Greenland:
- We probably won't get anything unless I use force. But I don't want to.
- That's perhaps the most important statement I've ever made. Everyone thought I was going to use force. But I won't.
- A piece of ice that could play a crucial role in world peace
Trump repeats several times that he is asking for Greenland in return for what the United States has done and is doing for the NATO alliance:
- And now I ask for a piece of ice that can play a crucial role in world peace, says Trump and continues:
- So we want a piece of ice to protect the world, and they won't give it, he says and continues:
- You can say yes, and we would greatly appreciate it.
"You can say no, and we will remember," Trump says, without going into detail about what that means exactly.
What kind of deal do you envision?
After his speech, Donald Trump is interviewed on stage. Here he is asked what kind of agreement he can envision between the United States and Denmark regarding Greenland.
Trump does not answer the question directly but says that Greenland costs Denmark a lot of money, and he reiterates that Denmark is a small country.
- It is very important that we use it for the sake of national and international security.
- It can create a power that makes it impossible for 'bad guys' to do anything.
Trump further says that Denmark promised to spend a large amount on defense in Greenland back in 2019, and that Denmark has not fulfilled its promise.
