U.S. President Donald Trump walks after announcing the charter of the Peace Commission initiative, which aims to resolve global conflicts, on the sidelines of the 56th World Economic Forum (WEF) held in Davos, Switzerland, on January 22, 2026.
Dennis Bariboos | Reuters
Amid the recent uproar over US President Donald Trump’s goal of annexing Greenland, it is easy to lose sight of another geopolitical tension that has been raging on the European continent for nearly four years: the Russia-Ukraine war.
On Friday, the ambassadors of Ukraine, Russia and the United States will hold trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates that will continue until Saturday.
It is noteworthy that Europe will not be participating in the conference. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday accused Europe of “losing its way” instead of coming together to defend itself and trying to convince President Trump to help them.
Elsewhere, Denmark on Thursday signaled it was open to talks with the United States over its Golden Dome missile defense project, part of the Greenland deal announced the day before by US President Donald Trump.
But Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen said he did not know the terms of the deal, a reaction echoed by many analysts and political watchers.
Ed Price, a senior adjunct fellow at New York University, told CNBC on Thursday that striking a deal “requires two people to tango,” and described President Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as “a monologue, not a dialogue.”
Still, markets rallied globally after President Trump withdrew his tariff threats against EU countries and softened his rhetoric on Greenland, reviving talk about TACO (‘Trump Always Chickens Out’) trade.
The U.S. president also signed the creation of a Gaza “peace council” on Thursday, rescinding Canada’s invitation to join the council, which was conceived as a way to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction after two years of war with Israel.
Temperatures have cooled slightly around Greenland, but geopolitical heat continues elsewhere.
—CNBC’s Kevin Breuninger, Anniek Bao, Lucy Handley and Hugh Leask contributed to this report.
What you need to know today
President Trump withdraws invitation to Canada for Peace Commission. The move came after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at Davos in which he warned against economic coercion by the world’s superpowers. Mr. Carney said last week that he intended to join the board.
TikTok establishes US joint venture This means the video-sharing app will be able to continue operating in the US The new venture will operate as an “independent entity” and will be led by Adam Presser, who has been TikTok’s head of operations and trust and safety.
The Bank of Japan raises its economic outlook. The economic expansion rate for the fiscal year ending March 2026 is expected to be 0.9%, up from the 0.7% forecast in October. The Bank of Japan also left interest rates unchanged. Meanwhile, inflation cooled in December and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved parliament on Friday.
US stocks widen their rise. Major U.S. indexes rose for the second day in a row on Thursday after President Trump lifted tariffs on Europe. Asia-Pacific markets rose on Friday, but tech stocks such as SoftBank Group and Lasertec subsequently fell. intel Stock prices fell sharply in extended trading.
(PRO) A stock price that is likely to skyrocket. CNBC Pro screened stocks that were upgraded to Buy or Overweight by at least three additional analysts since the end of last year. Major trading platforms and Wall Street banks were named to the list.
And finally…
NVIDIA’s Huang visits China as AI chip sales stagnate
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang plans to visit China in the coming days ahead of the Lunar New Year in mid-February, two people familiar with the matter told CNBC. Fan is scheduled to attend an Nvidia party in Beijing on Monday, said one of the people, who requested anonymity to discuss the trip.
The visit comes amid questions about the U.S. semiconductor giant’s ability to sell in the Chinese market, which once accounted for at least a fifth of Nvidia’s revenue from its data center business.
— Evelyn Chen
