“DOWNWARD SPIRAL”
Trump insists that mineral-rich Greenland is vital for US and NATO security against Russia and China as a melting Arctic opens up and the superpowers jostle for strategic advancement.
He has turned up the pressure by threatening tariffs of up to 25 per cent on eight European countries for backing Denmark, prompting Europe to threaten countermeasures against the United States.
At Davos on Tuesday, Macron, in sunglasses because of a burst blood vessel, warned against US attempts to “subordinate Europe”, and blasted Trump’s tariff threats as “unacceptable”.
Macron was the subject of Trump’s mockery as he publicly revealed a text message from the French leader proposing a G7 summit in Paris on Thursday on Greenland as well as Ukraine.
Trump later said he would not join any such meeting, while Macron clarified to AFP that no gathering was scheduled.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meanwhile warned that Trump risked plunging US ties with the European Union into a “downward spiral”.
And Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney – who has sought to reduce his own country’s dependence on Washington since Trump called for it to become the 51st US state – won a standing ovation at Davos for his stance.
“Canada stands firmly with Greenland and Denmark,” Carney said.
In his Davos speech, the White House said Trump wanted to focus on the US economy amid a cost of living crisis that threatens his Republicans in the 2026 midterms.
But the US president’s extraordinary assertion of US power on the world stage one year into his second term means Greenland will form the backdrop to the address.
Discover more from PressNewsAgency
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.