EU leaders have welcomed the abrupt and surprising step back from Donald Trump over Greenland. However, the swerve has not been enough to call off the emergency summit of heads of state and government of the 27 this Thursday in Brusselsdedicated to evaluating “the latest movements in transatlantic relations and their implications for the EU.”
After insisting on his objective of taking over the large Arctic island under Danish sovereignty, the president of the United States said in a speech in Davos that renounced military intervention. “People thought he would use force. I don’t have to use it. I don’t want to use it. “I won’t use it,” he stressed.
Shortly after, after meeting with Mark RutteTrump announced that he will not apply the extra 10% tariffs that were to come into force on February 1 for the eight European countries that sent troops to the island – including the United Kingdom, Germany and France -, alleging a principle of agreement on Greenland and the entire Arctic region.
“It is an agreement that everyone is very happy with“, maintains the tenant of the White House, without revealing any details. “It is a long-term agreement. The definitive long-term agreement. “It puts everyone in a really favorable position, especially when it comes to security and mineral resources,” he added.
The first Italian minister, Giorgia Meloni, during a cumbre en Bruselas
A NATO spokesperson explained that the organization’s seven allies present in the Arctic will work together to guarantee their collective security.
“Negotiations between Denmark, Greenland and the United States will continue with the aim of May Russia and China never gain a footholdneither economic nor military, in Greenland,” said the spokesperson.
“The crucial thing for us is that we can close this respecting the integrity and sovereignty of the Kingdom (of Denmark) and the right of the Greenlandic people to self-determination,” Lokke Rasmussen told Danish public broadcaster DR.
The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni -who shares ideological affinity with the tenant of the White House- has been one of the first to come to the public arena to celebrate the principle of agreement.
“I welcome President Trump’s announcement to suspend the imposition of tariffs planned for February 1 against some European States. As Italy has always defended, it is essential to continue promoting dialogue between allied nations“, has written in his X account.
“It is positive that we are moving towards de-escalation and that 10% tariffs are no longer on the table,” highlighted the acting Dutch Prime Minister, Dick Schoof.
Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch believes Trump’s threats have left EU scarred
“It is now important that the United States, Canada and Europe continue to collaborate within the framework of NATO to strengthen security in the Arctic region and counter threats from Russia and China,” has added.
However, the Trump’s threats against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a Member State such as Denmark, that, like the US, belongs to the Atlantic Alliance, they leave an indelible scar on transatlantic relations, which goes far beyond last year’s trade war.
“Relations between the EU and the US have been damaged by this“, acknowledged the Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, Ebba Busch, in an interview on the BBC. “It will take a lot to restore trust,” she maintains.
In his opinion, what has forced Trump to back down has been the “European strength”, the fact that for once the member countries have stood up to his threats. However, the Swedish leader does not rule out that the US president returns to the fray with Greenland. “Today’s progress can become tomorrow’s headache,” he said.
Among European leaders, the harshest speech against the US president was that of Emmanuel Macron in Davos. “We prefer respect over bullies“We prefer science over conspiracy theories and we prefer the rule of law over brutality,” said the French president, who has been mocked by Trump for his sunglasses.
The president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, during her speech this Wednesday in the European Parliament
For her part, Ursula von der Leyen maintains that the change in the international order introduced by the tenant of the White House ““It is not only seismic, but also permanent.”
“We now live in a world defined by power in its purest form.whether economic, military, technological or geopolitical. And although many of us do not like it, we must face the world as it is today,” he said this Wednesday in a speech to the European Parliament.
In the opinion of the President of the Commission, the response that the EU must give is “to accelerate our commitment to independence, whether in economic or security, technological or democratic matters.” “In a world increasingly without rules, Europe needs to have its own instruments of power,” he insisted.
“Appeasement is always a sign of weakness. Europe cannot afford to be weak, neither against his enemies nor against his allies. Appeasement gives no results, it only leads to humiliation. “Europe’s firmness and self-confidence have become the need of the hour.”says Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.