US President Donald Trump's pledges to provoke a sweeping tariff fight with Europe to get his way in taking control of Greenland has left many of America's closest allies warning of a rupture with Washington that would shatter the NATO alliance that had once seemed unshakable.
The European Union's top official on Tuesday called Trump's planned new tariffs over Greenland a "mistake" and questioned Trump's trustworthiness.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the EU could retaliate against its long-standing ally by deploying one of its most powerful economic tools, known colloquially as a trade "bazooka".
Trump prides himself on ratcheting up pressure to try and negotiate through a position of strength. He is slated to leave on Tuesday — the anniversary of his inauguration — for the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a venue that could give him the chance to defuse tensions as quickly as he has sought to stir them up.
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But European leaders — digging in and vowing to defend Denmark and its semiautonomous control over Greenland — may be seeking just as hard to meet an extraordinary moment with their own demonstration of fierce resolve.
That could hurt the chances of Trump finding a quick way to turn around the crisis. And, even as the furor over Trump's escalating calls for U.S. control of the vast Arctic island seems ready to engulf the elite annual meeting in Switzerland, Greenland's leader insisted on respect for its territorial integrity and said recognition of international law is "not a game."
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pushed back against Trump's announcement that, starting February, a 10 per cent import tax will be imposed on goods from eight European nations that have rallied around NATO ally Denmark. Greenland is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark.
"The European Union and the United States have agreed to a trade deal last July," von der Leyen said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
"And in politics as in business – a deal is a deal. And when friends shake hands, it must mean something."
"We consider the people of the United States not just our allies, but our friends. And plunging us into a downward spiral would only aid the very adversaries we are both so committed to keeping out of the strategic landscape," she added.
She vowed that the EU's response "will be unflinching, united and proportional."
The harder stance seemed to defy the approach that many European leaders have taken since Trump returned to office, which mostly had been to say nice things about Trump to try to stay in his good graces, while working furiously through other avenues to find compromise.
The president's continued insistence in recent weeks, however, that nothing short of the US somehow owning Greenland being unacceptable, is testing the limits of the softer approach.
Trump says the US needs the territory to deter possible threats from China and Russia. Set to speak in Davos on Wednesday, Trump said on social media that he had agreed to "a meeting of the various parties" there.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent insisted, meanwhile, that America's relations with Europe "have never been closer" and urged trading partners to "take a deep breath."
But Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, speaking in the Danish parliament, said that "the worst may still be ahead of us." She said that "we have never sought conflict. We have consistently sought cooperation."
'Not a game'
Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen insisted at a news conference in the island's capital, Nuuk, that "we need to have respect for international law and territorial integrity." He said those principles should unite Western democratic countries, and said he was grateful for support from EU allies.
"International law, it's not a game," he said. "We have been a close and loyal ally to the United States, to NATO, through many, many, many years. We can do lots more in that framework. We are willing to cooperate much more, but of course in mutual respect, and if we cannot see that, it will be very difficult to have a good and reliable partnership."
Trump's threats have sparked outrage and a flurry of diplomatic activity across Europe, as leaders consider possible countermeasures, including retaliatory tariffs and the first-ever use of the European Union's anti-coercion instrument.
Unofficially known as the "trade bazooka," the anti-coercion instrument could sanction individuals or institutions found to be putting undue pressure on the EU. The EU has two other major economic tools it could use to pressure Washington: new tariffs, or a suspension of the US-EU trade deal.
Macron warned in Davos that the additional tariffs could force the EU to use its anti-coercion mechanism for the first time against the United States.
"Can you imagine that?" he said, arguing that allied countries should be focusing instead on bringing peace to Ukraine. "This is crazy."
In general, he said, the mechanism "is a powerful instrument and we should not hesitate to deploy it in today's tough environment."
Trump earlier posted a text message from Macron in which the French president suggested a meeting of members of the Group of Seven industrialised democracies in Paris after the Davos gathering.
An official close to Macron, who spoke anonymously in line with the French presidency's customary practices, confirmed the message shared by Trump is genuine.
In his latest threat of tariffs, Trump indicated that the import taxes would be retaliation for last week's deployment of symbolic numbers of troops from the European countries to Greenland — though he also suggested that he was using the tariffs as leverage to negotiate with Denmark.
Newsom urges Europe to show 'backbone'
Speaking on the sidelines of Davos, California Gov. Gavin Newsom slammed Europe's response to Trump's tariff threats as "pathetic" and "embarrassing," and urged European leaders to unite and stand up to the United States.
"It is time to get serious, and stop being complicit," Newsom told reporters. "It's time to stand tall and firm, have a backbone."
On Monday night, Greenland's European backers looked at establishing a more permanent military presence to help guarantee security in the Arctic region, a key demand of the United States, Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson said.
Jonson said after talks with his counterparts from Denmark, Greenland and Norway that European members of NATO are currently "doing what's called a reconnaissance tour in order to identify what kind of needs there are when it comes to infrastructure and exercises and so forth."
In Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov strongly denied any intention by Russia and China to threaten Greenland, while also describing Greenland as a "colonial gain" for Denmark. At a news conference, he said that "in principle, Greenland isn't a natural part of Denmark."
US-UK tensions over Chagos Islands
In another sign of tension between allies, the British government on Tuesday defended its decision to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after Trump attacked the plan, which his administration previously supported.
Trump said that relinquishing the remote Indian Ocean archipelago, home to a strategically important American naval and bomber base, was an act of stupidity that shows why he needs to take over Greenland.
In a speech to lawmakers at Britain's Parliament on Tuesday, US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said he hoped to "calm the waters" as Trump roils the trans-Atlantic relationship with his desire to take over Greenland.
Johnson said the US and the UK "have always been able to work through our differences calmly, as friends. We will continue to do that."
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