Greenland's strategic location makes it a focal point if there were to be a nuclear conflict involving Russia, China and the United States

The last Nazis on Greenland were captured in October 1944, when American soldiers raided a hidden German weather station on the island’s desolate west coast and took dozens of prisoners. Within a year, Germany would be defeated and World War II would be over.

President Donald Trump appeared to back off his maximalist demand at Davos that the U.S. take ownership of Greenland, moving instead toward a deal.

A U.S. source said it would give the U.S. "total access" to parts of Greenland.

Negotiators have discussed proposals to check Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic and transfer sovereignty over pockets of Greenlandic land to the United States, an idea opposed by Denmark.

Trump said "Iceland" when he appeared to mean "Greenland" four times in his speech. Leavitt later denied he mixed the names up.

President Trump on Wednesday de-escalated his threats to seize Greenland and hammer Europe with new tariffs, but some lawmakers in both parties fear the damage to NATO has already been done.

Trump has repeatedly argued that the U.S. needs Greenland for national security. This week, he seemed to confuse it with Iceland.