PM says ‘hard yards’ of Greenland security ahead as he welcomes Trump shift

Sir Keir Starmer has said the “hard yards” of bolstering Arctic security can begin as he welcomed Donald Trump dropping tariff threats against European nations opposed to his ambitions to annex Greenland.

The Prime Minister said the US president’s shift in position was a “good thing” following weeks of pressure on the UK and allies which saw Europe and America teeter on the brink of a trade war.

Mr Trump rowed back on his threats on Wednesday evening after a meeting with Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte to discuss his decision to impose new 10% tariffs as a result of opposition to his plans for the mineral-rich territory.

The pair met on the fringes of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where the US president said they “formed the framework of a future deal” for security in the Arctic region.

“I think you will have noticed that the last few days have been incredibly serious in relation to big things happening on the world stage,” Sir Keir told local residents on a visit to Hertfordshire on Thursday.

“And you may have seen but it is a good thing that yesterday, the threat of tariffs against the United Kingdom was lifted and now we can start hard yards and finding a way forward on security in the Arctic, which may seem a long way away, pretty remote, but actually it does matter to all of us in terms of the safety and security of our country.

“And we’ve got through the last few days with a mix of British pragmatism, common sense, but also that British sense of sticking to our values and our principles.

“But now, as I say, the hard yards of actually finding a better way for security for our country, for Europe and across the globe.”

Following his meeting with Mr Rutte, the US president said they had discussed a solution which “if consummated, will be a great one for the United States of America, and all Nato nations”.

“Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st,” he said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

However, the terms of any potential agreement remain unclear.

Following the talks, the Nato chief told Fox News that the issue of sovereignty “did not come up anymore in my conversations tonight with the president”.

Mr Trump told reporters it was a “long-term deal” and an “infinite deal”, but would not directly answer if the agreement involved any US ownership of the semi-autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.

Mette Frederiksen, the Danish prime minister, will visit Britain on Thursday to meet Sir Keir, with Greenland’s sovereignty likely to be on the agenda.

The Prime Minister said he had not yet spoken to the US president since he lifted his tariff threats but told BBC Three Counties Radio during his visit he would do so “very soon”.

UK Government insiders appeared content that Sir Keir’s approach – calling for calm heads and diplomacy, rather than launching attacks on Mr Trump – had been vindicated.

In his most open statement of opposition to the US president yet, the Prime Minister told the House of Commons on Wednesday he would “not yield” in his stance over Greenland and vowed to stand up for British principles.

Speaking to broadcasters on Thursday morning, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the shift in position was “a reflection of the strength of our connections in Washington”.

“I hope this now means we are in a much better place to actually focus on what the real issues should be, which is our collective Arctic security, how Nato countries work together, respecting sovereignty, respecting our shared collective security in the face of shared threats, particularly from Russia,” she told Sky News.

She said she hoped the developments last night meant that “direct discussions” between the US, Greenland and Denmark could resume while insisting that “Greenland sovereignty is not up for negotiation”.

Ms Cooper also called for an “Arctic sentry” – a type of collective security framework for the region involving Nato members – to be explored.

European stock markets surged higher on Thursday morning as investors breathed a sigh of relief after the apparent reprieve from further tariffs.

The UK’s FTSE 100 jumped by about 0.8% in early trading, while Germany’s Dax index was climbing by about 1.2%, and France’s Cac 40 was up by 1%.

It follows US stock markets rallying overnight, with the the S&P 500 and Dow Jones indexes closing about 1.2% higher.