Prime Minister Mark Carney told the World Economic Forum in Davos that the way out of the crisis over Greenland starts with security — stronger defences for Greenland and the wider Arctic, delivered through joint NATO investment — while insisting Greenland’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be upheld.
“The answer starts with security”
Carney addressed the forum in the Swiss resort town of Davos on Tuesday, as global leaders absorbed another escalation in U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to assert control over the Danish territory. Carney said Canada stands by the principle that Greenland’s sovereignty and territorial integrity must be upheld.
“I strongly believe that there is a better outcome that comes from the discussions that have been catalyzed in an unusual way, admittedly,” Carney said when asked whether a diplomatic off-ramp exists to blunt Trump’s desire for Greenland.
Carney said the answer to the Greenland issue “starts with security.” “A security, yes, of Greenland, but more broadly of the Arctic,” he said. “Canada is four-square contributing to that. We’re at the start of a major ramp-up above and beyond, so we’ll be a major contributor to that. NATO has to deliver on that. We’re working intensively in order to do it.”
In his formal address to the forum, Carney put it in constitutional terms: “On Arctic sovereignty, we stand firmly with Greenland and Denmark, and fully support their unique right to determine Greenland’s future. Our commitment to NATO’s Article 5 is unwavering.” He pointed to Canada’s investments in over-the-horizon radar, submarines, aircraft and personnel in the North, and said Canada strongly opposes tariffs over Greenland.
An escalating week
In the early morning hours of Tuesday, Trump went on a posting blitz about Greenland on his Truth Social platform, including an AI-generated photo of himself meeting European leaders in the Oval Office beside a map of the Western Hemisphere showing American flags over Greenland, Canada, Cuba and Venezuela. On Monday, he refused to say whether he would use force, answering “no comment” in an interview with NBC News. That followed his threat to impose new tariffs on eight European nations that refuse to support a takeover.
Trump had repeatedly justified his push by citing a perceived threat from Russia and China. Carney said Russia does pose a clear threat in the Arctic, but argued the best defence is joint NATO investment in things like submarines, fighter jets and radar. “The threat is more prospective than actual at this stage in terms of actual activity in the Arctic, and we intend to keep it that way,” he said.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, asked in Davos about Canadian troops joining Danish sovereignty exercises in Greenland, said Canada regularly takes part in NATO exercises and that any additional exercises would be a decision for the defence minister and the chief of the defence staff.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Trump’s tariff threats against European countries were “a mistake” that raised questions about his trustworthiness. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent countered that Trump’s interest in Greenland is about national security and the planned Golden Dome missile shield. Greenland and Arctic defence were also key topics in Carney’s meetings with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, according to readouts from Carney’s office.
The temperature drops
Two days later, the crisis eased. After NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte held talks with Trump on Jan. 21, the U.S. president stepped back from his tariff threats and from talk of taking Greenland by force, and NATO said allies would work on a framework to ensure Arctic security through collective efforts — and to ensure Russia and China never gain a foothold in Greenland.
Carney welcomed the shift publicly. “Pleased with this progress to increase Arctic security through joint NATO action,” he wrote. “With our NATO allies, including the Nordic Baltic 8, Canada will fully participate in the defence of the region and further securing the alliance’s northern and western flanks” — the same security-first prescription he had laid out in Davos.
