U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly stepped back on Wednesday 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 that risked the deepest rupture in transatlantic relations in decades.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the deal emerged from a "very productive meeting" with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and would be "a great one for the United States of America, and all NATO Nations" if finalized.

"Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1," Trump wrote, without providing details on the terms of the proposed agreement.

Trump also said further discussions were underway on the Golden Dome, a proposed multi-layer missile defense system for the United States, as it relates to Greenland, adding that additional information would be released as talks progress.

He said that U.S. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will lead the negotiations and report directly to him.

Greenlanders were skeptical on Wednesday following Trump's announcement that he had settled the question of the Arctic island's future.

Several Greenlanders in the capital Nuuk voiced doubt when they heard the news or refused to believe it.

"Quite simply a lie. He's lying," technician Mickel Nielsen, 47, told AFP. "I don't believe a word he says, and I don't think I'm the only one."

Greenlandic MP Aaja Chenmitz, one of the two elected representatives of Greenland in the Danish parliament, told AFP that "NATO has absolutely no right to negotiate anything without us, Greenland. Nothing about us without us." She added, "And for NATO to have a say in our country and our minerals is completely insane."

The Greenland government has issued an emergency preparedness handbook advising households to stock at least five days' worth of basic supplies, including drinking water, food and sanitary products, in preparation for potential crises, local media reported on Wednesday.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen has publicly accepted Trump's invitation to speak directly regarding Denmark's position on Greenland.

Rasmussen said he had spoken with Rutte but declined to provide details on what had been agreed.

Rutte ⁠told Fox News on Wednesday the issue of whether Greenland will ⁠remain ‌with Denmark did not come up in ‌his conversation with Trump earlier in ‍the day.

(With input from agencies)