WASHINGTON, January 23. /TASS/. Europe won't forget the disdain the administration of US President Donald Trump has shown it, The Washington Post cited an unnamed European leader as saying.

In an opinion column on the foreign policy course of the current American administration with regard to Washington's claims to Greenland, journalist Fareed Zakaria quoted "one of the senior European leaders" as confirming that the EU was relieved by Trump's backtracking on plans to take Greenland by force.

"But we’ve now seen a pattern in his dealings with us," the leader said. "He treats us with contempt. And even if this crisis gets resolved, we will remember."

This was a throwback to a comment by the American president, who earlier said the United States would remember if they were refused ownership of Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.

On January 17, Trump said Washington would begin levying import duties of 10% from Great Britain, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Finland, France and Sweden until the parties strike a deal on "a complete and total purchase" of Greenland by Washington. This decision was supposed to come into force on February 1. Trump also criticized Europe's intention to send its forces to Greenland, calling it a "very dangerous game." At the same time, Trump argued that owning Greenland is necessary to strengthen US national security and effectively deploy the American Golden Dome missile defense system.

After talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte Trump said that the United States would not impose the import duties as the outlines of the deal appeared. According to the Axios portal, the draft agreement proposed by Rutte provides for the preservation of Danish sovereignty over Greenland and the renewal of a 1951 defense agreement. This will allow the United States to establish military bases and defense zones there, if NATO deems it necessary.

Greenland is part of Denmark as an autonomous territory. In 1951, Washington and Copenhagen, on top of to allied commitments to NATO, signed a treaty on the protection of the island. Under it, the United States has committed itself to defending Greenland from possible aggression.