Europe at a crossroads over Trump’s threats to seize Greenland, say leaders | European Union
European leaders have lined up to condemn Donald Trump’s “neo-colonialism” and warned the continent faces a crossroads, with the US president saying there is no turning back from his bid to control Greenland.
After weeks of aggressive threats from Trump to seize the vast Arctic island, which is a largely autonomous part of Denmark, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday he preferred “respect for tyrants” and “the rule of law over brutality.”
At the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland, Macron criticized the “useless aggression” of Trump’s promise to impose tariffs on countries that oppose the US seizure of Greenland, saying that now is “no time for new imperialism or neo-colonialism”.
Wearing sunglasses because of an eye condition, he said the United States was trying to “weaken and subordinate Europe” by demanding “maximum concessions” and imposing tariffs that were “fundamentally unacceptable — even more unacceptable when used as leverage against regional sovereignty.”
Trump’s pressure on Greenland has intensified in recent weeks; The president said the US would take control of the huge Arctic island “one way or another” and said: “The time has come and it will be done!!!” He is expected to visit Davos and give a speech on Wednesday.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Trump’s threat to impose 10 percent tariffs on imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland unless they withdraw their objections to his plans was “a mistake”.
Appearing to question Trump’s credibility, he also said the EU and the US “agreed on a trade deal last July, and in politics, as in business, a deal is a deal. When friends shake hands, it has to mean something.”
He added that Europeans “see the people of the United States not only as our allies but also as our friends.” He warned that relations should not be dragged into a “downward spiral” but said the EU’s response would be “frightening, united and proportionate” if necessary.
Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever said Europe was “at a crossroads” and “so many red lines have been crossed” by Trump that the continent must stand up for itself or “lose its honour”. “The most valuable thing you can have in a democracy.”
De Wever said he “wanted to confirm this” [the US] is an ally, but they have to behave like an ally”. Eighty years of Atlanticism could be coming to an end, he said. “A Nato country is threatening another Nato country with military invasion.”
Trump said on social media on Tuesday that in his meeting with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte, he “made it very clear that Greenland is essential to National and World Security. There can be no turning back.”
He posted an AI image of himself, US vice president J.D. Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio planting a US flag next to a sign that read: “Greenland, US territory est. 2026.” Another image showed a map with Canada and Greenland as part of the United States.
Separately, the US president posted a message from Macron telling him that he “doesn’t understand what you’re doing in Greenland.” The US president had previously threatened to impose 200% tariffs on French wine and champagne if Macron did not accept his invitation to join the “Peace Board”.
The escalating row has thrown trade relations between the EU and the US into new chaos, forcing the bloc to take retaliatory measures and also risking the disintegration of the NATO transatlantic alliance, which has guaranteed the security of the West for decades.
Canadian prime minister Mark Carney, who has just returned from a visit to Beijing to forge a new Canada-China partnership, told Davos that the world’s “middle powers” must work together to build a better world order..
“Every day we are reminded that we live in an age of great power competition. We are reminded that the rules-based order is fading,” Carney said in his speech, which ended with a standing ovation.
Carney said the world was facing “the end of a pleasant fiction and the dawn of a harsh geopolitical reality of great powers with no restrictions.”
“We know that the old order will not return. We should not mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy,” he said.
Trump will be at the WEF meeting with EU leaders considering retaliatory measures, which could include a package of tariffs on €93bn (£80bn) of US imports that have been suspended for six months.
Another option is the bloc’s “anti-coercive instrument” (ACI), which has never been used before but would limit US access to public procurement, investments or banking activities and restrict trade in services, including digital services.
Senior MPs on the European Parliament’s international trade committee are expected to announce on Wednesday the formal suspension of ratification of the EU-US trade deal signed in July, following a deal between the largest political groups, a European Parliament source said.
“This is not a problem with the Kingdom of Denmark, it is a problem with the entire transatlantic relationship,” Danish Economy Minister Stephanie Lose said in Brussels. “We don’t believe anything should be ignored at this point.”
But US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said US relations with Europe were strong and called on partners to “take a deep breath” and allow tensions over Greenland to “emerge”.
Bessent said a solution would be found and that the “hysteria” in Europe was unfounded. “It’s been 48 hours. Sit back, relax,” he said. “I am confident that the leaders will not escalate tensions and that this will end in a very good way for everyone.”
Trump shocked the EU and NATO by refusing to rule out using military force to seize Greenland, a strategically important, mineral-rich island that falls under many of the protections offered by the two organizations because Denmark is a member of both.
Greenland’s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said the use of military force in the capital Nuuk was “unlikely” but could be used. “Greenland is part of NATO and if there is tension it will have consequences for the outside world,” he said.
Speaking in the Danish parliament, Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said “the worst may still be ahead.” Frederiksen added that his country “never seeks conflict, we constantly seek cooperation.”
Trump has repeatedly said the United States must take control of Greenland for “national security,” even though the United States already has a military base on the island and a bilateral agreement with Denmark that allows it to greatly expand its presence there.
Von der Leyen said in her speech that the EU is working on a package for Arctic security based on Greenland and Danish sovereignty, a major increase in investment in Greenland and cooperation with the United States in the region.
Danish public broadcaster TV2 reported that 58 Danish soldiers landed in Greenland on Tuesday, joining about 60 others sent earlier for a multinational military exercise called Operation Arctic Endurance.
Swedish defense minister Pål Jonson said European leaders are considering establishing a more permanent military presence in the north to help guarantee security in the Arctic region. This was an important demand of the USA.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he has no plans to travel to Davos, but may change his plans if his delegation and US officials make progress in peace efforts aimed at ending the war in his country.
