EU Leaders Take Stage in Davos as Trump Rocks Global Order

Trump is set to dominate the week in the Swiss ski resort, with a US delegation already on the ground to support an American agenda that disrupts the global order cherished by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

In addition to European Union President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese Deputy Prime Minister He Lifeng and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, whose countries have disagreements with Trump, will also speak at the forum on Tuesday.

Trump will give a speech on Wednesday and attend other events on Thursday.

Europe is weighing countermeasures after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on eight European countries over the Greenland crisis.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who led the US contingent in Davos, warned that EU retaliation would be “very unwise”.

Von der Leyen met with a bipartisan US congressional delegation in Davos on Monday and said on social media that she “addressed the need for unequivocal respect for the sovereignty of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.”

While Macron will leave Davos without seeing Trump on Tuesday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he plans to meet the US president at the forum on Wednesday.

Merz said Germany and other European countries agreed “that we want to avoid any escalation of this conflict if possible.”

Leaders of the 27-nation bloc will hold an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday to discuss the response to one of the worst crises in recent years to hit transatlantic ties.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said at a press conference in Davos that “tariff threats at the allied level are unacceptable. They weaken our transatlantic relationship and in the worst case could lead to a vicious circle.”

When asked if the United States would use force, Stubb said, “I do not believe the United States will take control of Greenland militarily.”

Denmark has suggested that NATO launch surveillance operations in Greenland to confront security concerns.

– ‘USA House’ –

Other prominent foreign leaders speaking at the WEF on Tuesday include Carney, who is trying to reduce his country’s dependence on the United States as Trump raises tariffs on Canadian products.

As relations with the United States deteriorate, Carney turns the page on years of diplomatic tension with China during a visit to Beijing last week and signed a preliminary trade deal to reduce tariffs.

Chinese Deputy Prime Minister He Lifeng, whose country has had long-standing trade disputes with Trump, will also address the WEF.

Other flashpoints on the WEF agenda include crises in Venezuela, Gaza, Ukraine and Iran.

The United States sent an unusually large delegation to Davos as a sign that it wants to make its presence felt at the meeting of global economic and political leaders.

Bessent and other U.S. officials will attend panels at the forum’s convention center as well as at the “USA House,” inside a former church along the ornate mountain walkway.