Donald Trump appeared in Davos to be backing away from using military force to take Greenland from Denmark.
I don't want to use force. I will not use force, Trump said, and instead wants to "see immediate negotiations" on acquiring the island.
As an isolated statement, it is positive that he says that, but it does not make the issue go away, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told Danish TV2 after the speech.
Rasmussen says Trump's conviction remains rock-solid, but told DR that the kind of negotiations Trump is calling for will not become a reality.
"We will never enter into negotiations that involve giving up fundamental principles," said Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen.
In Greenland, the government is urging all Greenlanders to prepare to survive five days without electricity and water. Among other things, they are urged to have hunting rifles and fishing gear.
Well aware of the signal the announcement sends, the government states that the call is about "being prepared, not worried."
"We have survived without advanced technology here for many years. It's the Greenlandic spirit - we can do it," said Aqqaluaq B Egede, Minister for Natural Resources.
