The economic forum in Davos has been largely dominated by US President Donald Trump’s ambitions to acquire Greenland, and each country has its own say about it, writes Reuters.
European leaders in Davos are trying to form a united position against Trump’s latest move, and have warned against reacting emotionally to the American’s ambitions. The BBC reports that Trump has repeatedly emphasized the threat to take over Greenland, indicating that there is no turning back. When asked how far he is willing to go to acquire the autonomous Danish territory, the US president replied: “You will see.”
The US leader also stated that no one else has done as much for NATO as he has, and expressed doubts whether NATO would come to the aid of the US.
Trump’s speech in Davos is scheduled for the 21st of January, but an electronic failure on the plane forced it to return to the US. The White House said the president would use a backup plane and has a number of meetings planned for Davos.
Meanwhile in Davos, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, without naming Trump, stressed the need to respond to the global turmoil and stressed that
the pace and scale of change in the world had created a consensus that Europe needed to be independent.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said the 27-nation bloc was at a crossroads and needed to decide how to get out of the very bad situation it was in. He told a panel discussion that now was the time to unite and tell Trump he was crossing red lines. Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch added that trying to curry favor with Trump through flattery, as some European leaders have done so far, would no longer work.
French President Emmanuel Macron has stressed that the European Union should not bow to the principle of “the strongest wins”. It was not only Macron’s speech that attracted attention, however, as the French president also wore distinctive aviator-style sunglasses indoors. He did not say why he did not remove his sunglasses, but French media have cited medical necessity. Last week, Macron’s eyes were red at an army event in southern France, and he wore similar glasses.
French media have written that one of the people most likely had a ruptured blood vessel in the eye. It does not affect vision, and the damage is not painful, and a number of different factors can cause a ruptured blood vessel. Sunglasses in this case are not necessary to protect vision, it is more a matter of aesthetics.
In his speech,
Macron warned against heading towards autocracy, towards a world where international law is trampled underfoot
and imperialist ambitions are given free rein. This is all the more important at a time when tariffs are being used as a lever against territorial sovereignty. The US president has threatened the French with a 200% import tariff on French wines and champagnes for refusing to participate in the Gaza Peace Council.
Bankers and CEOs are also attending the Davos forum alongside politicians, and some of them, on condition of anonymity, said that the reaction of European leaders is driven more by emotions than a pragmatic approach, and Europeans should think about building a dialogue rather than taking offense at Trump’s way of speaking.
Issues related to Ukraine were also discussed at the economic forum. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Russian representatives, and both sides described the meeting as positive and constructive. The Russian dictator’s spokesman, Kirill Dmitriyev, has said that more and more people are understanding Russia’s position.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the 20th of January that he would attend the forum if the United States was ready to sign an agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine. He stressed that the Ukrainians were ready to meet, but only if the meetings were effective.
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