Tensions Loom Over Greenland As Trump Heads To Davos For Showdown With European Leaders

US President Donald Trump is set to arrive in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday, for a tense face-off with European leaders, as his renewed push to acquire Greenland deepens strains within the transatlantic alliance.

Trump’s trip to the Swiss ski resort was delayed after a “minor electrical issue” forced Air Force One to turn back shortly after takeoff, leaving the president several hours behind schedule for the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. Despite the setback, the Greenland dispute has already dominated discussions ahead of his arrival.

On the eve of the meeting, Trump mocked European leaders over their opposition to his interest in the autonomous Danish territory.

However, European officials meeting in Davos have presented a united front, with French President Emmanuel Macron pledging to stand up to “bullies,” while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned of a fundamental “rupture, not a transition,” in the US-led global order.

The coordinated pushback drew a sharp response from US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who urged European leaders to remain calm and hear Trump out.

“Do not have this reflexive anger that we’ve seen and this bitterness,” Bessent told reporters in Davos, adding that leaders should “sit down, wait for President Trump to get here and listen to his argument.”

Trump, who was scheduled to address the forum at 2:30 pm local time, is expected to arrive nearly three hours late after switching aircraft. He has indicated he will hold several meetings on Greenland during the forum, as his ambitions for the vast Arctic island threaten to open the most serious rift between Washington and Europe in decades.

Asked how far he was willing to go to secure Greenland from Denmark, a fellow NATO member, Trump was blunt: “You’ll find out.” He also conceded before leaving the White House that he had “no idea” how the Davos trip would unfold.

The US president has repeatedly argued that mineral-rich Greenland is critical to US and NATO security, particularly as a melting Arctic heightens strategic competition with Russia and China.

Earlier Trump intensified pressure by threatening tariffs of up to 25 percent on eight European countries supporting Denmark, prompting warnings of retaliation from Europe.

Trump dismissed Europe’s threats of deploying a trade “bazooka” against the United States.

“Anything they do with us… all I have to do is meet it and it’s going to go ricocheting backward,” he said in an interview with News Nation, while adding that a compromise could still be reached “possibly even during the next few days.”

At Davos on Tuesday, Macron warned against US attempts to “subordinate Europe,” describing Trump’s tariff threats as “unacceptable.” France has since called for a NATO military exercise in Greenland and signalled its readiness to participate.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also cautioned that Trump’s approach risked pushing US–EU relations into a “downward spiral.”

Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney — who has worked to reduce Canada’s reliance on Washington after Trump suggested it should become the 51st US state — received a standing ovation in Davos.

“We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition,” Carney said, describing an emerging global system marked by intensifying great-power rivalry and the use of economic integration as coercion.

The White House said Trump’s Davos address would focus on the US economy, as rising living costs pose political risks for Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. However, one year into his second term, the president’s assertive foreign policy posture means Greenland is expected to loom large over his speech.

Greenland’s prime minister warned on Tuesday that the island’s population of just 57,000 must be prepared for the possibility of military force.

Separately, Trump is expected on Thursday to formally announce the first charter of his proposed “Board of Peace,” a conflict-resolution body with a reported $1 billion price tag for permanent membership.

While initially conceived to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, a draft of the charter seen by AFP suggests its mandate would extend beyond the Palestinian territory.

AFP