By MATTHEW LEE, STEPHEN GROVES and JOSHUA GOODMAN Associated Press
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has given a full-throated defense of President Donald Trump's military operation to oust and arrest then-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Rubio also used his wide-ranging congressional testimony Wednesday to touch on Greenland, NATO, Iran and China. In the first public hearing since the Jan. 3 intervention to depose Maduro, Rubio said Trump had acted to take out a major U.S. national security threat in the Western Hemisphere. Rubio said America was safer and more secure as a result and that the Republican administration would work with interim authorities to stabilize the South American country.
By GEIR MOULSON, EMMA BURROWS and JAMES BROOKS Associated Press
Leader of Denmark and its semiautonomous territory Greenland are insisting that the island's sovereignty is nonnegotiable after U.S. President Donald Trump said he agreed to a framework on Arctic security with the head of NATO. Much about the potential deal remains unclear, though Trump said that "we're going to have total access to Greenland" and "we're going to have all the military access we want." Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen voiced guarded relief that Trump abruptly dropped his tariff threats and insistence on acquiring the island, but said he knew no concrete details of the agreement Trump cited.
As tensions simmered between the United States and Europe over President Donald Trump's push to acquire Greenland, Russian officials, state-backed media and pro-Kremlin bloggers watched with a mixture of glee, gloating and wariness. Some touted Trump's move as historic, while others said it weakens the European Union and NATO — something that Moscow would seem to welcome — and that it pushes Russia's war in Ukraine to the sidelines for the West. Some noted the Arctic island held security and economic concerns for the U.S. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also drew parallels between Trump's bid for Greenland and the annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, which many nations do not recognize as legal.
By JOSH BOAK, WILL WEISSERT and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press
President Donald Trump has announced he is canceling a planned tariff on U.S. allies in Europe over Greenland. This decision follows an agreement with NATO on a framework for a future Arctic deal. Earlier, Trump insisted on acquiring Greenland but said he would not use force. His comments have sparked concerns about a potential geopolitical standoff. Denmark remains firm on its sovereignty over Greenland. Trump's tariff threats have alarmed European leaders, who warn of a strong response. The situation has overshadowed Trump's plans to address U.S. housing prices, with Greenland dominating discussions.
By JAMEY KEATEN, EMMA BURROWS and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press
President Donald Trump's tariff threats over Greenland have strained relations with America's key NATO allies. European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, criticized Trump's approach on Tuesday, warning of potential retaliation. The European Union's top official calls the tariffs a "mistake," questioning Trump's reliability. Trump argues the U.S. needs Greenland to counter threats from China and Russia. Greenland's leader insists on respect for international law. European leaders consider countermeasures, including tariffs and economic sanctions. As tensions rise, Trump plans to address the issue at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
By EMMA BURROWS, CLAUDIA CIOBANU and DANIEL NIEMANN Associated Press
Troops from European countries, including France and Germany, are arriving in Greenland to boost security. This comes as talks in Washington on Wednesday between Denmark, Greenland and the U.S. highlighted disagreements over Greenland's future. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the deployment of French troops, with Germany sending a reconnaissance team on Thursday. Denmark is also increasing its military presence. The talks focused on U.S. intentions to take over Greenland for its mineral resources amid rising Russian and Chinese interest. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen expressed concerns over Trump's intentions. Greenlanders remain uncertain about the future.
U.S. President Donald Trump's latest threats against Greenland pose a new and potentially unprecedented challenge to NATO, perhaps even an existential one. The alliance is normally focused on external threats, but it could now face an armed confrontation involving its most powerful member. The White House says the administration is weighing options that could include military action to take control of the strategically located and mineral-rich island. Greenland is part of NATO ally Denmark. Trump's designs on Greenland could put at risk the entire future of NATO, which was founded in 1949 to counter the threat to European security posed by the Soviet Union.
By CLAUDIA CIOBANU and STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press
Updated
Several European leaders have pushed back on U.S. President Donald Trump's comments about seeking an American takeover of Greenland. The leaders issued a statement Tuesday reaffirming the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island "belongs to its people." The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom have joined Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in defending Greenland's sovereignty in the wake of Trump's comments. Greenland is a self-governing territory of the kingdom of Denmark. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said Monday that Greenland should be part of the United States. Frederiksen previously said a U.S. takeover of Greenland would amount to the end of the NATO military alliance.
A top European Union official has warned the United States against interfering in European affairs. European Council President António Costa was reacting Monday to the Trump administration's new national security strategy. The document criticizes European allies and offers tacit support to far-right parties in Europe. Costa emphasized that only European citizens can choose their political leaders. The strategy released Friday questions Europe's free speech and migration policies. It underlines the importance of ending Russia's war in Ukraine and improving U.S.-Russia relations. But Costa says it focuses chiefly on the end of hostilities rather than peace and on the stability of relations with Russia.
Estonia has summoned a Russian diplomat to protest after three Russian fighter jets entered its airspace without permission. The Foreign Ministry said the incursion on Friday lasted 12 minutes. This is the fifth time this year that Russia has violated Estonian airspace, but the Foreign Minister called this incident "unprecedentedly brazen." The airspace violation comes just over a week after NATO planes downed Russian drones over Poland, raising concerns about the war in Ukraine spilling over. Russian officials have not yet commented on the incident.
