Top EU official questions Trump’s trustworthiness over Greenland tariff threat

DAVOS, Switzerland — The European Union’s top official on Tuesday described U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned new tariffs over Greenland as a “mistake” between long-standing allies and called into question Trump's trustworthiness, while French President Emmanuel Macron said the situation could push the EU to deploy one of the its most powerful tools of retaliation.

While the furor over Trump's desire for control of the vast Arctic island was a focus of an elite annual meeting in Switzerland, Greenland's leader insisted on respect for its territorial integrity and said that respect for international law is “not a game.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pushed back against Trump's announcement that starting February, a 10% import tax will be imposed on goods from eight European nations that have rallied around Denmark in the wake of his escalating calls for the United States to take over Greenland. The Arctic island is a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally 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.”

Trump, who will speak in Davos on Wednesday and said on social media that he had agreed to “a meeting of the various parties” there, has insisted the U.S. needs the territory for security reasons against possible threats from China and Russia.

Earlier Tuesday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said America’s relations with Europe remain strong and urged trading partners to “take a deep breath” and let tensions driven the new tariff threats over Greenland “play out.”

“I think our relations have never been closer,” he said.

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.”

The American leader’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. In addition, the EU has two other major economic tools it could use to pressure Washington: new tariffs, or a suspension of the U.S.-EU trade deal.

Macron warned in Davos that the additional tariffs could force the EU to use its anti-coercion mechanism “for the very first time” against the United States.

“Can you imagine that?” he said, arguing that allied countries should be focusing 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 industrialized 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 in the High North to help guarantee security in the Arctic region, a key demand of the United States, Swedish Defense 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, U.S. 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 U.S. and the U.K. “have always been able to work through our differences calmly, as friends. We will continue to do that.”

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Emma Burrows reported from Nuuk, Greenland. AP writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Jill Lawless in London and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.