Greenland Dispute: Tensions Escalate as Trump Heads to Davos

Main Points Donald Trump is set to make an appearance at Davos amid escalating tensions with European leaders over his desire for control over Greenland The US president told reporters yesterday: “We have to have it [Greenland]” France’s Emmanuel Macron says Europe prefers “respect to bullies” amid US tariff threats over EU opposition to Greenland plan Canadian PM Mark Carney told Davos ahead of Trump’s address that the US-led rules-based order is “fading” Taoiseach Micheál Martin is also set to arrive in Davos later today Key Reads Keith Duggan: Trump hurtles to Davos with Greenland on his mind and no stop in sight Michael McDowell: The worse Trump behaves, the more room there is for optimism John McManus: The EU should channel Michael O’Leary when dealing with Donald Trump Echoing these sentiments, MEP Barry Andrews said Ireland and the EU “have to show backbone” and it is now time “to stand up” to Trump. While every effort must be made exhaust diplomatic efforts, Andrews told Newstalk Breakfast there had been a complete change in the approach of the United States to foreign policy, Vivienne Clarke reports. “There’s no point in having further concessions, further appeasement, further flattery. We just have to show backbone,” Andrews said. “For a small country like Ireland, the absolute priority is for us to stick with EU solidarity. And we had a debate yesterday in the European Parliament on all of this issue, and the degree to which the European Union has posed together on this issue is really extraordinary. So that gives us strength in numbers, it gives us security.” The Dublin MEP continued: ”Ireland had to show solidarity with Denmark. Our Danish colleague are calling on each of the individual member states to use whatever levers they have to try to influence US politics, including the Congress, including US business, including academia in the US. “And obviously there are weeks and weeks of contact, of diplomatic contact, between Irish ministers, Irish society generally with the US - and so the Danes want us to do what we do best.” Labour leader Ivana Bacik has said we are living in "extraordinary times" and the European Union must use "every lever at its disposal" to stop any attempts by Trump to take over Greenland. "The fact that we’re even discussing a threat by the US to a sovereign state in Europe is itself extraordinary," she said. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, the Dublin Bay South TD said: “The first thing the EU has to do is to take a new stance - no more appeasement of Trump, no more flattery, no more capitulating - because we’ve seen that simply doesn’t work. He is a bully. “We’ve seen in Davos just yesterday, a real strengthening of language of EU leaders like [Emmanuel] Macron, like the Belgian prime minister [Bart De Wever], and indeed, other leaders like Mark Carney of Canada, who now say we must stand up to Trump.” The Taoiseach will also arrive in Davos later today. Micheál Martin said he was “looking forward to attending” the forum. “It is an opportunity to meet with international leaders and business leaders to discuss how we can work together to best address geopolitical and economic challenges.” The Taoiseach is due to address business leaders at an IDA event. He will also have a number of meetings with senior business and political leaders on the margins of the forum. Trump is “likely to be three hours late” to Davos, according to US secretary of the treasury Scott Bessent, following the problem with Air Force One. Trump was due to give his special address at the World Economic Forum at 1.30pm Irish time - that time hasn’t changed yet on the official programme. - The Guardian ​Europe must wake up in ‍the face of threats of fresh ‍tariffs by Trump if Europe does ‌not let him take ⁠over Greenland, European Central Bank ‌policymaker ​Francois ‍Villeroy de Galhau said on Wednesday. “Europe must stand ⁠firm and defend ⁠itself, and Europe can also ⁠wake up and play its ‍own cards,” Villeroy told France 2 television. Villeroy said fresh tariffs by the US would weaken economic growth ‌for all ‌parties involved but that their impact on ‌European inflation should be ⁠rather muted. - Reuters British energy secretary Ed Miliband said prime minister Keir Starmer had shown “calm leadership” in his handling of Trump, as he called for “de-escalation” over Greenland. Miliband told Sky News Starmer was not travelling to the World Economic Forum in Davos as there were “all kinds of other things that he’s doing”. He said: “The bigger picture here is that the prime minister is, I think, navigating a really difficult international situation with great skill and in our national interest... “I know some people will want to say, why hasn’t the prime minister been matching Donald Trump tweet-for-tweet, all of that. I honestly say to you, we would be in a much worse position as a country. “He has shown calm leadership, which got us the first trade deal with the US, which got us the lowest tariff. “Now this is a very challenging situation, and we’ve got a principle, which is we seek common ground with Donald Trump, but where we disagree, we say so, and that’s what he said on Greenland. “But no, I think Keir Starmer’s leadership is absolutely right on this and I think at this stage, it’s about de-escalation and finding a way through this tricky situation.” British defence secretary John Healey is in Davos for the forum. - Press Association Trump’s arrival in Davos is set to be delayed due to an issue with Air Force One. The plane was forced to abort its flight to Switzerland early this morning and turn back after what officials described as a “minor electrical issue”. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said the decision to return to Washington DC had been taken shortly after departure “out of an abundance of caution”, once the crew detected the fault. A White House pool reporter travelling with the US president said the lights in the press cabin of Air Force One flickered off briefly after the aircraft became airborne, though no further explanation was provided at the time. On landing, Trump transferred to a second plane and continued his trip to the World Economic Forum. According to the White House press pool, the crew on the plane quickly moved boxes of fruit, wrapped sandwiches and beverages to the new plane. Other staffers were seen pulling about a dozen suitcases off the plane and placing them onto a truck. The plane departed just after midnight local time (5am Irish time), more than two hours after the initial flight took off. - The Guardian Trump is due to speak in Davos on Wednesday afternoon, as his bid to seize Greenland threatens to tear the transatlantic Nato alliance apart. Asked on Tuesday how far he was prepared to go to acquire Greenland from Denmark, a fellow Nato member, Trump replied: “You’ll find out.” Leaders in the Swiss ski resort have closed ranks against Trump’s aggressive America First stance, with French president Emmanuel Macron vowing to stand up against “bullies” and the EU promising an “unflinching” response. Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has said the US-led global system of governance is enduring “a rupture,” defined by great power competition and a “fading” rules-based order. Speaking at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday, Carney said: “We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition.” In an apparent warning against efforts to appease major powers, he said countries like Canada can no longer hope that “compliance will buy safety”. “It won’t,” he said. Good morning. We will be keeping you up to date with all the latest developments ahead of US president Donald Trump’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Trump yesterday doubled down on his threats to take control of Greenland. His arrival in Davos today is expected to be delayed due to a “minor electrical issue” on Air Force One.