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Pressure Over Greenland Grows as Trump, European Allies Meet in Davos
MLN — 21 JAN 2026: President Donald Trump arrive in Davos, Switzerland, this week for high-stakes meetings with European leaders as tensions escalated over his push for the United States to acquire Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark.
The meetings at the World Economic Forum came days after Trump imposed 10 percent tariffs on Denmark and several European allies, a move he linked directly to opposition over Greenland’s future. The tariffs intensified a transatlantic dispute that has drawn public pushback from European leaders and raised concerns about long-term alliance stability.
Over the weekend, Trump criticized the United Kingdom and shared a screenshot of a private text exchange with French President Emmanuel Macron, in which Macron questioned Trump’s actions on Greenland. The exchange underscored growing friction between Washington and key allies ahead of the Davos talks.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has worked to maintain close ties with Trump during his second term, issued a rare public rebuke on Monday.
“Any decision about the future status of Greenland belongs to the people of Greenland and the kingdom of Denmark alone,” Starmer said at a news conference.
Macron also appeared to reference the dispute during remarks in Davos, warning that, conflict has been normalized. He said the endless accumulation of new tariffs was fundamentally unacceptable. Adding, even more so when they are used as leverage against territorial sovereignty.
Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said Trump’s approach risked isolating the United States.
“In the first term, Trump was very clear to say ‘America First’ was not ‘America Alone,’ Mulvaney said. “You get the impression that is changing in the second term.”
Former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Alan Leventhal said the tariff threat had instead unified European governments.
“We should expect the EU countries to stand up to the threats of higher tariffs,” Leventhal said.
Asked about his relationships with European leaders during a briefing marking his first year back in office, Trump said he still gets along, very well with Starmer and Macron.
“They get a little bit rough when they’re, you know, when I’m not around, but when I’m around they treat me very nicely,” Trump said.
Trump declined, however, to accept a proposed invitation to a G7 meeting in Paris.
“No, I wouldn’t do that,” he said. “Because you know, Emmanuel’s not going to be there for very long, and there’s not longevity there. He’s a friend of mine. He’s a nice guy.”
Trump and his allies have argued that U.S. control of Greenland would strengthen national security as Russia and China expand their presence in the Arctic.
“It matters to us because it matters to China and Russia,” said Nathan Sales, who served as counterterrorism coordinator during Trump’s first administration. “China and Russia, long, term, will have an interest in exercising interest over Greenland, and that is not in the interest of the United States.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the dispute as “a deep crisis” for NATO, warning it could lead to a scenario where “one NATO member is going to attack another NATO member.”
Mulvaney said the strain could weaken the alliance.
“The Trump administration has got to figure out not only what the benefits are to acquiring Greenland but what the costs are,” he said. “That’s more than just money.”
Trump said Tuesday he remained confident an agreement would be reached.
“I think we’re going to work something out where NATO’s going to be very happy, and we’re going to be very happy,” he said. “But we need it for security purposes.”
When asked how far he was willing to go to secure Greenland, Trump replied, “You’ll find out.”
