By Gram Slattery WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican President-elect Donald Trump says he plans to acquire Greenland, bring the war in Ukraine to a close and fundamentally alter the U.S. relationship with NATO during his second four-year term.
In recent weeks, he has also threatened to seize the Panama Canal and slap Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs if they do not clamp down on the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States.
Here is a look at the foreign policy proposals Trump has pledged to advance once he takes office on Monday:
NATO, Ukraine and European allies
* Trump has said that under his presidency, the United States will fundamentally rethink “NATO’s purpose and NATO’s mission.”
* He has pledged to ask Europe to reimburse the United States for “almost $200 billion” in munitions sent to Ukraine, and he has not committed to sending further aid to the Eastern European nation.
* Trump cut defense funding to NATO during the latter part of his first term, and he has frequently complained that the United States was paying more than its fair share. In recent weeks, he has said NATO members should be spending 5% of gross domestic product on defense, a figure well above the current 2% target.
Territorial expansion
* Trump has said he plans to acquire Greenland, an idea he briefly floated during his 2017-2021 term. His previous efforts were foiled when Denmark said its overseas territory was not for sale. But Trump’s designs on the world’s largest island have not abated. During a January press conference, Trump refused to rule out invading Greenland, portraying the island as crucial for U.S. national security interests.
China, trade and Taiwan
* Trump frequently threatens to impose major new tariffs or trade restrictions on China, as well as on many close allies.
* His proposed Trump Reciprocal Trade Act would give him broad discretion to ramp up retaliatory tariffs on countries found to have put up trade barriers of their own.
* Trump has floated the idea of a 10% universal tariff, which could disrupt international markets, and at least a 60% tariff on China.
Mexico, Canada and narcotics
* Trump has said he would slap Mexico and Canada with broad 25% tariffs if they do not stem the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. Mexican and Canadian leaders have sought to prove they are serious about taking on illegal immigration and the narcotics trade, though Trump’s actual Day One plans for tariffs on the countries are unclear.
Conflict in Israel
* Trump’s Middle East envoy-designate, Steve Witkoff, worked closely alongside officials in the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden to hash out the peace deal announced earlier in January between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas. Sources close to the talks said he applied significant pressure on both sides to strike an accord quickly.
Iran
* Trump’s advisers have indicated they will renew the so-called maximum pressure campaign of his first term against Iran. The maximum pressure campaign sought to use vigorous sanctions to strangle Iran’s economy and force the country to negotiate a deal that would hobble its nuclear and ballistic weapons programs.
Climate
* Trump has repeatedly pledged to pull out of the Paris Agreement, an international accord meant to limit greenhouse gas emissions. He pulled out of it during his term in office, but the U.S. rejoined the accord under Biden in 2021.
Missile defense
* Trump has pledged to build a state-of-the-art missile defense “force field” around the U.S. He has not gone into detail, beyond saying that the Space Force, a military branch that his first administration created, would play a leading role in the process. In the Republican Party platform, the force field is referred to as an “Iron Dome,” reminiscent of Israel’s missile defense system, which shares the same name.