Greenland 'circus' undermines Ukraine peace efforts, MSC chief says

The German chair of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) has described the ongoing dispute over US President Donald Trump's bid to acquire Greenland as a "circus," arguing that the energy spent on the row should be used to end Russia's war in Ukraine.

Trump's ambitions to take over the Arctic territory, which is part of NATO ally Denmark, dominated the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a major gathering of policymakers and business leaders traditionally used for exchange on a range of issues.

"All I can say is: point missed," MSC head Wolfgang Ischinger said on a morning programme aired by German public broadcaster ZDF on Friday.

"We should have sent a signal from Davos to the Russian side that this war must finally come to an end," he said, describing the dispute among Western allies over Greenland as "completely unnecessary" and "harmful."

In a surprise U-turn in Davos on Wednesday, Trump said he would not use force to seize Greenland, the world's largest island, which he claims the US needs to control for national security reasons.

He also walked back threats to impose new tariffs on eight European NATO allies who have opposed his takeover bid, including Denmark and Germany.

Following talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Swiss town on Wednesday evening, Trump said that a framework for a future agreement on Greenland and the entire Arctic region had been established, without revealing further details.

Ischinger said he believes Trump's change of course was due to the threat of European retaliatory tariffs, the careful approach taken by European leaders and headwinds from within the US itself.

Last week, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen introduced a bill that would bar the Trump administration from annexing, occupying, or otherwise controlling the territory of a NATO ally without the consent of the partner nation.

Meanwhile, Ischinger stressed the importance of keeping Trump on board, noting that it would not be possible to pressure Russia into ending the war in Ukraine without the US.