- European leaders are united against Trump’s ‘America First’ agenda.
- Europe mulls countermeasures after Trump threatens tariffs.
- Macron denounces the attempt to tame Europe and describes the customs tariffs as “unacceptable”.
DAVOS: European leaders drew a clear line on Greenland on Tuesday, promising a “no-nonsense” response to Washington’s threats, even as US President Donald Trump said he was ready to hold a meeting in Davos on his plans to take the autonomous Danish territory.
When asked hours before heading to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, how far he would go, Trump simply replied: “You will find out.” »
“We have a lot of meetings planned in Greenland and I think things are going to go pretty well,” Trump told reporters about his meetings in Davos.
World Economic Forum (WEF) leaders in the Swiss ski resort closed ranks against Trump’s increasingly aggressive America First agenda, while Greenland’s prime minister said its small population of 57,000 must prepare for military force.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen led the European response, warning that Trump risked sending U.S. ties with the European Union into a “downward spiral.”
France’s Emmanuel Macron warned of US attempts to “subordinate Europe” and called Trump’s threats to impose tariffs of up to 25% on countries opposed to his plans in Greenland “unacceptable”.
Trump had previously insisted that Greenland was a security “imperative.” “There is no going back – everyone agrees on that!” » he posted on his Truth Social platform.
The US president, who will address the annual gathering of world elites on Wednesday, put the transatlantic alliance to the test by demanding the takeover of Greenland.
Europe is considering countermeasures after he threatened to levy taxes on eight European countries, although Washington said any retaliatory measures would be “reckless.”
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick asked European countries to “keep the pressure and temperature low” on threats of tariff retaliation, while US trade envoy Jamieson Greer told reporters in Davos it would be “unwise” for European countries to use their “bazooka” trade measures.
Von der Leyen called the US tariffs a “mistake”, telling the meeting of world economic and political leaders that they could trigger a spiral that would only help Europe’s adversaries.
“Our response will therefore be flawless, united and proportional,” she said.
NATO at stake
Trump continued his campaign in Greenland Social truthwriting that he had a “very good” call with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, during which he agreed to meet with “various parties” in Davos.
Rutte’s predecessor, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, warned that the Republican strategy in Greenland had triggered the biggest crisis in NATO history, and said the time to “flatter” the US leader was over.
“It is the future of NATO and the future of the world order that is at stake,” he told AFP in an interview in Davos.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen agreed, telling a news conference in Nuuk that while military intervention was “unlikely,” it could not be ruled out.
“That is why we must be prepared for all eventualities, but let us emphasize this: Greenland is part of NATO and, if there were to be an escalation, it would also have consequences for the rest of the world.”
Trump says he wants to protect mineral-rich Greenland from perceived threats from Russia and China – although Washington already has a base and security arrangements there through NATO, while analysts suggest Beijing is a small player in the region.
European leaders will hold an emergency summit on Greenland in Brussels on Thursday.
“Law of the Jungle”
Other high-profile foreign leaders who spoke to the WEF on Tuesday included Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, whose country is locked in a trade war with Trump.
“A few selected countries should not have privileges based on their personal interests, and the world cannot return to the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak,” he said, without naming names.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has sought to reduce his country’s dependence on the United States in his own tariff feud with Trump, also expressed support for Greenland in Davos.
Canada benefited from an era of “American hegemony,” he said, but must now pivot to defend the existing international order.
Other hot items on the WEF agenda include the crises in Venezuela, Gaza, Iran – and Ukraine.
Europe, which is increasing defense spending to end its security dependence on the United States, still needs Washington’s help to end the war in Ukraine and deter the looming Russian threat to the east.
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Tuesday that he feared the furor over Greenland would distract attention, warning of a “loss of focus during a large-scale war.”
Macron, wearing sunglasses because of a broken blood vessel, sent a message to Trump to propose a G7 summit on Thursday in Paris on Greenland as well as Ukraine, with Copenhagen, Moscow and kyiv on the sidelines.
But he later clarified to AFP that no such meeting was yet planned and Trump said he would not join the meeting.
The Kremlin said Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev planned to meet members of the US delegation in Davos – the first to attend since Russians were excluded from the gathering following Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
