European leaders, shaken by Donald Trump's latest global maneuver, are trying to present a united front in Davos, while CEOs are warning against reacting emotionally to the US president's ambition to take over Greenland.
European leaders yesterday condemned "new colonialism" and warned that the continent was at a crossroads, after the US president said there was no turning back from his goal of controlling Greenland.
After weeks of aggressive threats from Trump to take over the Arctic island, which is a largely autonomous part of Denmark, French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday that he prefers "respect to bullies" and "the rule of law to brutality."
Macron said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that now was "not the time for new imperialism or new colonialism," criticizing the "useless aggression" of Trump's promise to impose tariffs on countries that oppose the US takeover of Greenland.
The US is seeking to “weaken and subjugate Europe” by demanding “maximum concessions” and imposing tariffs that are “essentially unacceptable – and even more so when used as leverage against territorial sovereignty,” he said.
The European Commission president said Trump's threat to impose a 10 percent tariff on imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland unless they drop their opposition to his plans was a "mistake."
Seemingly questioning Trump's trustworthiness, Ursula von der Leyen also recalled that the EU and the US "reached a trade deal last July, and in politics, as in business, a deal is a deal. When friends shake hands, it must mean something."
Europeans, she added, “consider Americans not just allies, but friends.” She warned of the danger of relations going downhill, but stressed that the EU's response, if necessary, would be “unwavering, unified and proportionate.”
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said Europe is “at a crossroads” and that Trump is crossing “so many red lines” that the continent must stand up for itself or it will “lose dignity… the most precious thing you can have in a democracy.”
De Wever said he would “like to confirm that (the US) is an ally, but they have to behave like an ally.” Eighty years of Atlanticism may be coming to an end, he said. “One NATO member is threatening another NATO member with military invasion.”
But several senior bankers and executives at Davos, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters they saw European leaders' response to Trump's moves as more emotional than pragmatic. Two suggested the continent should look beyond the way the US president is communicating his message and enter into negotiations.
"But they don't seem to want to have that conversation because the style offends them so much. And that's why you have in Europe, a very delicate balance and a continent that can't move together," one senior banker told Reuters.
Trump said yesterday that there was "no turning back" from his goal of taking control of Greenland, refusing to rule out the possibility of taking the Arctic island by force.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said she would not give in to Trump's demands.
"I will certainly not leave Greenland, I made that decision a long time ago, as Danish Prime Minister," she told reporters in Copenhagen. "The American president, unfortunately, has not ruled out the use of military force. And so the rest of us cannot rule it out either, so it is a natural consequence of what the American president said - and what he did not say," she added.
Trump announced on social media on Tuesday that during a conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, he "made it very clear that Greenland is imperative for national and global security. There is no going back."
He also posted an image generated by artificial intelligence showing him, US Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio placing an American flag next to a sign that read: “Greenland, US Territory, Established 2026.” Another image showed a map showing Canada and Greenland as part of the United States.
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