President Donald Trump appeared to back off his maximalist demand at Davos that the U.S. take ownership of Greenland, moving instead toward a deal.

The last Nazis on Greenland were captured in October 1944, when American soldiers raided a hidden German weather station on the island’s desolate west coast and took dozens of prisoners. Within a year, Germany would be defeated and World War II would be over.

Oil prices slid about 2% to a one-week low on Thursday, after U.S. President Donald Trump softened threats toward Greenland and Iran, and on some positive movement that could lead to a solution to end Russia's war in Ukraine.

A 1951 treaty between the U.S. and Denmark already covers much of what a potential agreement on the island would include.

Negotiators have discussed proposals to check Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic and transfer sovereignty over pockets of Greenlandic land to the United States, an idea opposed by Denmark.

Trump said "Iceland" when he appeared to mean "Greenland" four times in his speech. Leavitt later denied he mixed the names up.

BRUSSELS, Jan 22 (Reuters) - The European Union must show unity in dealing with Greenland, the Board of Peace and return to discussions on helping Ukraine, which is the main security problem for Europe,