An intense week of diplomacy kicks off on Monday as European leaders try to find a common position to counter Donald Trump's threat of additional tariffs on countries that do not support the US takeover of Greenland. Several meetings, including between Europeans and Americans, are set to take place on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, where world leaders will gather this week. EU leaders will meanwhile convene in Brussels for an extraordinary summit later this week. Ambassadors from across the bloc already had a first conversation at 27 on the topic on Sunday evening where the European Commission presented several options to hit back at the US, including the introduction of a list of retaliatory measures worth €93 billion and the activation of the Anti-Coercion Instrument, which would allow broader retaliation in other economic sectors and levers. The tool has never once been triggered. Defence ministers from Nordic countries will also meet at NATO headquarters in Brussels, the Danish defence ministry said in a statement. "Greenland is in an extraordinary situation that has the attention of the whole world. The situation requires that we strengthen cooperation on defence and security in the Arctic broadly within the NATO circle. I look forward to discussing the way forward with NATO's Secretary General and with my Nordic colleagues in Brussels," Motzfeldt said in a statement. Poulsen meanwhile said that the discussions with Nordic ministers will focus on how NATO can do more in the Arctic. "The Danish and Greenlandic governments, together with a number of NATO allies, have decided to increase the military presence and exercise activity in the Arctic and the North Atlantic. A number of allies are already contributing, and we are meeting broad support for NATO to do more in the Arctic," he said. The UK, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have issued a joint statement saying US President Donald Trump's Greenland threats risk a "dangerous downward spiral" and undermine transatlantic relations. The NATO members then stated that they stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland and are ready to engage in dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, considered one of Trump's allies in the EU, has called the threatened tariffs a "mistake" and said she had spoken with the US president by telephone. French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media that "no intimidation or threats will influence us, whether in Ukraine, Greenland or anywhere else in the world when we are faced with such situations." He added that "tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context." Spanish Premier Pedro Sánchez said in an interview that a US invasion of Greenland would make Russian President Vladimir Putin "the happiest man on Earth". He explained that any military action by the US against Denmark would damage NATO and legitimise the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said China and Russia will benefit from divisions between the US and Europe. "If Greenland's security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO. Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity," Kallas said in a post on social media. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the tariffs announcement was "completely wrong" and his government would "be pursuing this directly with the US administration." Meanwhile in the US, Republican lawmakers are scrambling to contain the president's threat of taking possession of Greenland, with some showing the most strident opposition to almost anything the Trump administration has done since taking office. They gave floor speeches on the importance of NATO last week. They introduced bills meant to prevent the US from attacking Denmark. And several travelled to Copenhagen to meet with Danish counterparts. "When the most powerful military nation on earth threatens your territory through its president over and over and over again, you start to take it seriously," Senator Chris Coons said. — Agencies
