President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would not use force to acquire Greenland, the first time he has ruled out using military action to acquire the territory.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump lamented that the United States “probably won't get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force, where we would be, frankly, unstoppable.”

“But I won't do that,” he added. “That's probably the biggest statement I made, because people thought I would use force. I don't have to use force. I don't want to use force. I won't use force.”

“All the United States is asking for is a place called Greenland," he continued.

The comments come amid a prolonged campaign by Trump to annex the island, which is a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark.

That campaign has become increasingly confrontational in recent weeks, as Trump has insisted that there was "no going back” on his push to acquire Greenland. He posted memes showing pictures of the island draped in an American flag, and had begun to raise the example of the U.S. military's operation in Venezuela to remove President Nicolas Maduro when discussing his designs on Greenland, prompting fears that he may use military action to seize the territory.

Trump's aggressive posture prompted days of angst among European officials, and his appearance was preceded by a series of speeches condemning his ambitions to take Greenland. On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron denounced what he described as a "new imperialism," without mentioning Trump by name.

"We do prefer respect to bullies," Macron said. "And we do prefer rule of law to brutality."

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, similarly, did not say Trump's name, but announced that the "rules-based order is fading."

"Canadians know that our old, comfortable assumption that our geography and alliance memberships automatically conferred prosperity and security is no longer valid," Carney said.

Trump's pressure campaign over Greenland had ramped up ahead of Davos, transforming from words to action.

Over the weekend, he announced tariffs on eight European countries—and NATO allies— for taking part in military exercises on the island.

That in turn prompted a furious reaction and threats of retaliatory economic measures, which were already subject to tariffs of 10% and 15%. European Union (E.U.) officials convened an emergency meeting to discuss a response. Some officials raised the prospect of abandoning the U.S.-EU trade deal struck last summer. The agreement includes $750 billion worth of energy purchases from the U.S., $600 billion in EU investment, and billions of dollars in reduced tariffs on imports from European countries.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned during her speech at the World Economic Forum that the E.U.’s response to the tariff threats will be “unflinching, united and proportional.”

“In politics as in business—a deal is a deal. And when friends shake hands, it must mean something,” von der Leyen said. (TIME)

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