Following talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump backed down on threats to seize Greenland by force, saying he had reached a "framework" of a deal on the island that satisfies him.

"It was a very good discussion," Rutte said Thursday at a Ukrainian event on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss mountain resort.

The foreign minister of Denmark and Greenland met with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington last week.

Rutte said the next talks will build on the results from his meeting with Trump.

One "work stream" to emerge from his meeting with Trump was how NATO allies -- including its seven members in the Arctic -- can "collectively make sure that the Arctic stays safe, that the Russians and the Chinese stay out".

The other issue, he said, was "that we ensure that the Chinese and the Russians will not gain access to the Greenland economy" or militarily.

Trump's threats over the vast Arctic territory -- an autonomous part of NATO member Denmark -- had plunged relations between Europe and its key ally Washington into their deepest crisis in decades.