Highlights: After meeting US Prez, Zelensky draws Putin-Maduro parallel, flags Europe inaction on Ukraine

Trump Davos LIVE: Zelensky said that Europe was too reliant on the US for its security

Trump Davos highlights: On his day 2 at Davos summit, US President Donald Trump held a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine. After the meeting, which lasted an hour in total, Trump said that the talks were “good”, adding that the “war has to end.” “The meeting was good with President Zelensky. We'll see how it turns out,” AFP quoted Trump as saying.

Meanwhile, Zelensky flagged Europe inaction in Ukraine during his address at the WEF in Davos.

“Everyone turned attention to Greenland, and it’s clear most leaders simply are not sure what to do about it. And it seems like everyone is just waiting for America to cool down on this topic, hoping it will pass away. But what if it will not, what then?” Zelensky asked.

“We have told our European partners multiple times — act now … but Europe still remains in ‘Greenland mode’ — maybe someday, someone will do something,” the Ukrainian President said.

The Ukrainian President also said that a two-day trilateral meeting of officials from the United States, Russia and Ukraine will take place in UAE from Friday.

Earlier today, the US President unveiled the ‘Board of Peace', a body for resolving international conflicts. Several world leaders joined him on stage for the ceremony and signed the charter for the board.

Trump on Wednesday withdrew the tariffs he had threatened against eight European countries to push for US control over Greenland after saying that he had agreed with the head of NATO on a “framework of a future deal” focused on Arctic security. The sudden U-turn came after discussions with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos.

Trump said he would drop the tariffs of up to 25 per cent that he had announced only days earlier, which were due to take effect from February 1 on Denmark and several close European allies that had sent troops to Greenland in a show of support.

What is the Greenland 'framework'?

On social media, Trump said a “very productive meeting” with NATO’s leader had produced the “framework” of a possible agreement on Greenland and the Arctic. NATO also called the talks “very productive” and said any work on the framework mentioned by Trump would focus on maintaining security in the Arctic.

However, Rutte said on Wednesday that the question of whether Greenland would remain part of Denmark did not arise during his discussions with Donald Trump.

Trump has previously said several times that Washington must own Greenland, an autonomous part of the Danish kingdom that hosts a US airbase, to stop Russia or China from moving into the strategically located and mineral-rich Arctic region.

Relief for Denmark

Trump’s warnings had sparked one of the most serious transatlantic crises in decades, with concerns that he could weaken NATO through aggression towards another member.

His change in tone brought some relief in Denmark, a long-standing US partner, where Trump’s threats had caused shock and a sense of betrayal.

“Trump said that he will pause the trade war, he says, ‘I will not attack Greenland’. These are positive messages,” Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told Danish public broadcaster DR.

EU freezes US trade deal

A trade agreement between the United States and the European Union has been put on hold after the European Parliament chose to pause a ratification vote over Trump’s threats linked to Greenland. The trade committee was expected to set its position in votes in Parliament on January 26-27, but this has now been delayed.

In a statement, Bernd Lange, chair of Parliament’s trade committee, said, “By threatening the territorial integrity and sovereignty of an EU member state and by using tariffs as a coercive instrument, the US is undermining the stability and predictability of EU-US trade relations.”