NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said on Wednesday the issue of whether Greenland will remain with Denmark did not come up in his talks with Donald Trump, as the US president stepped back from threats of tariffs and ruled out the use of military force to take control of Greenland.

Rutte made his comments in an interview on Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier" show.

Why it's important

Earlier in the day, Trump abruptly stepped back from threats to impose tariffs as leverage to seize Greenland, ruled out the use of force, and said a deal was in sight to end a dispute over the Danish territory.

After meeting Rutte, Trump said on Wednesday that Western Arctic allies could forge a new deal over the strategic island territory of 57,000 people that satisfies his desire for a "Golden Dome" missile‑defense system and access to critical minerals, while blocking Russia and China's ambitions in the Arctic.

Also Read: Trump backs down on Greenland tariffs, says deal framework reached

Trump had previously repeatedly said Washington must own Greenland, an autonomous part of the kingdom of Denmark that houses a US airbase, to prevent Russia or China from occupying the strategically located and minerals-rich Arctic territory.

Key quotes

Rutte was asked if Greenland will still be "under the Kingdom of Denmark in this framework deal" that Trump mentioned.

"That issue did not come up anymore in my conversations tonight with the president," Rutte said in response.

Also Read: EU suspends Trump-era trade deal over Greenland tariff threats

"He (Trump) is very much focused on what do we need to do to make sure that that huge Arctic region - where change is taking place at the moment, where the Chinese and the Russians are more and more active - how we can protect it."

Context

Greenland and Denmark have said Greenland is not for sale. Denmark and the US are NATO members. Trump's foreign policy agenda has been cast by many experts as imperialist in nature.