DAVOS: European leaders issued a firm warning on Tuesday against any US move to take control of Greenland, pledging an “unflinching” response to Washington’s threats, even as US President Donald Trump said he was open to holding meetings in Davos over his controversial plans regarding the autonomous Danish territory.
Asked ahead of his departure for the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland how far he was prepared to go, Trump replied cryptically: “You’ll find out.”
“We have a lot of meetings scheduled on Greenland, and I think things are going to work out pretty well,” Trump told reporters, adding that the issue would feature prominently during his Davos engagements.
At the WEF, European leaders closed ranks against Trump’s increasingly aggressive America First agenda, while Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen warned that his island nation of just 57,000 people must be prepared for all scenarios, including the possibility of military force.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen led the European response, cautioning that Trump’s approach risked pushing US-EU relations into a “downward spiral.”
French President Emmanuel Macron warned against US attempts to “subordinate Europe” and described as “unacceptable” Trump’s threat to impose tariffs of up to 25 percent on countries opposing his Greenland plans.
Trump has repeatedly insisted Greenland is “imperative” for US security, declaring on his Truth Social platform: “There can be no going back – on that, everyone agrees!”
The standoff has put the transatlantic alliance under severe strain. Europe is now weighing countermeasures after Trump threatened trade levies on eight European countries, although Washington has warned retaliation would be “unwise.”
US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick urged Europe to keep tensions low, while US trade envoy Jamieson Greer said it would “not be wise” for the EU to deploy its so-called “bazooka” trade measures.
Von der Leyen branded US tariffs a “mistake,” warning they could spark a spiral benefiting only Europe’s adversaries.
“Our response will be unflinching, united and proportional,” she said.
NATO at Stake
Trump said he had a “very good” call with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and agreed to meet “various parties” in Davos. However, former NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned the Greenland issue had triggered the biggest crisis in NATO’s history, saying the time for flattering Washington was over.
“It is the future of NATO and the future of the world order that are at stake,” Rasmussen told AFP.
Greenland’s prime minister echoed those concerns, saying military force was unlikely but could not be ruled out, stressing that Greenland’s NATO membership meant any escalation would have global consequences.
Trump argues the US needs Greenland to counter Russian and Chinese influence, though analysts note Washington already maintains a military base there and that China plays only a limited role in the Arctic.
EU leaders are set to hold an emergency summit on Greenland in Brussels on Thursday.
Global Reactions at Davos
China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng, speaking at the WEF, warned that the world must not return to the “law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak,” in remarks widely seen as aimed at Washington.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also voiced support for Greenland, saying Canada must now help defend the international order after decades of benefiting from American hegemony.
Other major global crises discussed at Davos include Ukraine, Gaza, Iran and Venezuela. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the Greenland dispute risked diverting attention from the war, cautioning against a “loss of focus during a full-scale conflict.”
Macron floated the idea of a G7 summit in Paris to discuss Greenland and Ukraine, though later confirmed no meeting had been scheduled. Trump said he would not attend.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin confirmed that Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev plans to meet members of the US delegation in Davos — the first Russian presence since Moscow was excluded following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.