President Donald Trump says his administration has been engaged in negotiations to secure what he described as “total access” to Greenland, a step he argues is essential for US national security and missile defence in the Arctic.

Speaking to Fox News, Trump insisted the United States must have a greater presence on the vast island, repeating longstanding claims about its strategic importance. “Everything comes over Greenland. If the bad guys start shooting, it comes over Greenland,” he said. “It’s pretty invaluable.”

He also reiterated that the technology now exists to support ambitions first explored decades ago, saying: “You know, Ronald Reagan had the idea a long time ago, but we didn’t have any technology at that point. The concept was great, but there was no technology. Now we have unbelievable technology.”

When pressed on whether this amounted to purchasing Greenland, Trump replied that the process was already under way. “I mean, we’re talking about, it’s really being negotiated now, the details of it, but essentially it’s total access. There’s no end, there’s no time limit.”

The statement followed Trump’s decision to pause plans for tariffs against several European nations – measures he had tied to a push for enhanced rights over Greenland.

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Tariffs paused after NATO conversations

Trump said he had reached an understanding with NATO allies, prompting him to abandon the tariffs that were due on 1 February. He pointed to a discussion with NATO Secretary General and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as laying the groundwork.

“Based upon a very productive meeting that I have had with the Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, we have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region,” Trump wrote on social media.

NATO later affirmed that talks aimed to ensure “Russia and China never gain a foothold” in Greenland.

Trump also said the agreement made the tariff threat unnecessary. “Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st,” he said.

Greenland at the heart of nuclear flight paths

Greenland’s location makes it central in any hypothetical nuclear conflict between the world’s major powers. The Arctic routes that intercontinental ballistic missiles would follow between Russia or China and the United States pass directly over the island.

Trump has frequently used these potential flight paths to justify his focus on Greenland, warning that the region would be “in the middle of Armageddon” if global tensions escalated.

“If there is a war, much of the action will take place on that piece of ice. Think of it: those missiles would be flying right over the centre,” he said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Missiles such as Russia’s Topol-M, launched from silos southeast of Moscow, would arc over Greenland on a path to US ICBM bases in Montana, North Dakota and Wyoming. Chinese DF-31 missiles fired from new silo fields could also transit the Arctic en route to targets on America’s East Coast.

Early warning systems and the Pituffik Space Base

The US maintains one of its most critical early warning radars in Greenland at the Pituffik Space Base, previously known as Thule Air Base. Located above the Arctic Circle at a near-equal distance from Washington and Moscow, the installation monitors missile launches across the polar region.

The AN/FPS-132 radar can detect small objects at extreme range and feeds information to US military command to shape any defensive response. Analysts note that Greenland’s geography gives the US valuable minutes of additional warning time in the event of an attack.

“That gives the United States more time to think about what to do,” said Pavel Podvig, a Geneva-based expert on Russia’s nuclear arsenal.

Despite Trump’s argument that ownership of the island is necessary, defence scholars dispute that logic. The United States has operated in Greenland under a 1951 defence agreement and had long been able to expand its presence with Danish consent.

“You can’t defend it on a lease,” Trump said in Davos, linking Greenland directly to his planned missile shield, known as the “Golden Dome”.

Trump wrote online: “Because of The Golden Dome, and Modern Day Weapons Systems, both Offensive and Defensive, the need to ACQUIRE is especially important.”

France-based nuclear defence specialist Etienne Marcuz questioned the premise, arguing the US already relies on a similar early warning system in the United Kingdom without seeking to take control of British territory. New space-based sensors under development could also diminish Greenland’s long-term importance, he said.

A changing dynamic with Denmark

The possibility of an American acquisition of Greenland has unsettled Denmark, which governs the island as a semiautonomous territory. Trump’s renewed push has strained relations, despite decades in which US defence requests were typically granted.

“Denmark was the most compliant ally of the United States,” Marcuz noted. “Now, it’s very different.”

The United States previously operated multiple bases in Greenland but reduced its footprint, leaving Pituffik as the sole remaining installation.

Part of Trump’s wider missile-shield vision

Trump’s “Golden Dome” is envisioned as a multi-layered defence network, potentially including interceptors in Greenland capable of destroying warheads before they approach the US mainland.

“The highly complex system can only work at its maximum potential and efficiency ... if this Land is included in it,” Trump wrote.

While specialists agree the Arctic is crucial to early missile detection, many say US ownership of Greenland is unnecessary to maintain or upgrade its defences – a point Trump’s critics say undercuts the case he is making.

(With AP inputs)