DAVOS / ISTANBUL

Türkiye could play a mediating role between the US and Europe amid rising tensions over Greenland, according to a US foreign policy expert.

Philip Gordon, an expert at the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology under the Foreign Policy program at the Brookings Institution, told Anadolu on Wednesday that Türkiye’s position gives it an important voice as transatlantic relations come under strain.

“Especially transatlantic relations degrade, which unfortunately they are, Türkiye has an important voice in all that,” said Gordon, who previously served as a national security adviser during former US Vice President Kamala Harris’ tenure.

He said Türkiye already plays a bridging role between Ukraine and Russia while seeking to maintain good relations with Washington, adding that US President Donald Trump has often spoken positively about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Gordon said Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Europe and the EU was “pretty aggressive” and “very critical,” but left room for negotiations.

He added that Trump’s statement ruling out the use of force to acquire Greenland would be welcomed by European leaders.

“They were readying a response to Trump's tariffs and sanctions, which would have been very painful. And now at least I think there's a chance to avoid that escalation, which would have been damaging for both sides,” he said.

Tensions between US and Europe over Greenland

Speaking at the WEF earlier Wednesday, Trump said he would not use military force to acquire Greenland.

“That’s probably the biggest statement I made, because people thought I would use force, but I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force,” he said, calling for “immediate negotiations” with Denmark to “discuss the acquisition of Greenland by the United States.”

Trump argued that Europe’s economic growth has become increasingly dependent on public spending, large-scale migration and foreign imports.

Following Trump’s announcement that tariffs could be imposed on some European countries over Greenland, the European Parliament said it had halted the approval process for a trade agreement reached between the EU and the US in July 2025.

Trump said Wednesday on his social media platform Truth Social that a framework for a deal involving Greenland and the broader Arctic region had been established following his meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Davos, Switzerland.

“Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st,” he added.

Last week, Trump said Washington would impose 10% tariffs on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland starting Feb. 1, rising to 25% in June unless an agreement is reached for what he described as “the complete and total purchase of Greenland.”

He said the tariffs would remain in effect until such an agreement is concluded.