European leaders pledged a resolute response to President Donald Trump’s threats to acquire Greenland and impose tariffs on nations opposing his plans. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos that Trump’s threats would be a mistake and promised Europe’s reaction would be unflinching, united and proportional.
Von der Leyen described the threatened tariffs as a mistake and emphasized the importance of maintaining trust between longtime allies. She stated that the European Union and the United States agreed to a trade deal last July, adding that in politics as in business, a deal is a deal. Von der Leyen said when friends shake hands, it must mean something.
The European Commission president affirmed Europe’s commitment to Arctic security, which Trump has cited as one reason for his ambitions in Greenland. Von der Leyen announced plans for a massive European investment surge in Greenland and said Europe will work with the United States and all partners on wider Arctic security.
Denmark’s minister for European affairs called Trump’s tariff threats deeply unfair. Before a European Union meeting of economy and finance ministers in Brussels, the minister said Europe needs to become even stronger and more independent while stressing there is no interest in escalating a trade war.
The tension escalated after the Trump administration announced plans to levy tariffs of 10 percent on imports from eight European countries, with the rate potentially rising to 25 percent if Washington’s demands are not met. Trump said Saturday he would impose 10 percent tariffs on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland starting February 1.
Sources in the European Union noted that applying tariffs to individual members of the EU single market could prove difficult because goods can circulate freely among the bloc’s 27 countries, complicating efforts to track their origins. An EU diplomat cited by AFP suggested exports of French wine, Dutch cheese and Danish pharmaceuticals from Budapest to the United States might suddenly spike, referring to the close relationship between Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Trump.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat since December 2024, told the European Parliament that Europe must respond according to international law. Kallas said no country has the right to take over the territory of another, whether in Ukraine, in Greenland, or anywhere in the world. She noted that Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, is under NATO protection and called Trump’s security concerns as a reason for a takeover unfounded.
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen struck a cautious tone. The prime minister acknowledged that while military action by the United States was unlikely, it could not be entirely ruled out. He stressed that any escalation could have consequences beyond Greenland, given the island’s NATO membership.
French President Emmanuel Macron clarified that no G7 meeting was scheduled at the World Economic Forum, despite a text he sent to Trump offering to host one in Paris to discuss Greenland and Ukraine. The text published by Trump on Truth Social included Macron’s words saying he could set up a G7 meeting after Davos in Paris on Thursday afternoon.
California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized both Trump and Europe’s handling of the situation, saying Europeans should decide for themselves what to do but cannot continue what they have been doing. Newsom said Trump is playing folks for fools and it is embarrassing.
Trump announced he would meet with various parties in Davos to discuss Greenland, writing on Truth Social that Greenland is imperative for national and world security. He accompanied the post with AI generated images depicting himself planting a US flag in Greenland and presenting maps to other world leaders.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautioned that the Greenland dispute should not distract from Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskyy said he was worried about any loss of focus during a full scale war. He expressed hope that America would truly hear Europe in the format of diplomacy and strongly believed there would not be any major threats.
Brussels is considering strong economic measures, sometimes referred to as the trade bazooka, to counter the US threats. However, a misstep could embolden Trump to escalate his ambitions in the Arctic, potentially reshaping transatlantic relations for years to come.
