Camille Naredo

The Greenland flag is pictured on August 18, 2019 in Kulusuk (also spelled Qulusuk), a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality located on the island of the same name on the southeastern shore of Greenland. Jonathan Nackstrand, AFP/File

The Greenland flag is pictured on August 18, 2019 in Kulusuk (also spelled Qulusuk), a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality located on the island of the same name on the southeastern shore of Greenland. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP)

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Greenland

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1768910955348AFP__20190827__1JT0C0__v1__MidRes__GreenlandDenmarkNatureTourismLifestyle.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="The Greenland flag is pictured on August 18, 2019 in Kulusuk (also spelled Qulusuk), a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality located on the island of the same name on the southeastern shore of Greenland. Jonathan Nackstrand, AFP/File" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The Greenland flag is pictured on August 18, 2019 in Kulusuk (also spelled Qulusuk), a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality located on the island of the same name on the southeastern shore of Greenland. <em>Jonathan Nackstrand, AFP/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>DAVOS, Switzerland -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday an &quot;unflinching&quot; response to Donald Trump&#x27;s threats over Greenland, as the US president said he was ready to hold a meeting in Davos about the Arctic island.</p><p>In a speech to the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort, von der Leyen warned that Trump risked plunging US ties with the European Union into a &quot;downward spiral&quot; over the autonomous Danish territory.</p><p>Trump, who will address the annual gathering of global elites on Wednesday, has put the transatlantic alliance to the test with his demand to take over Greenland.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/1/18/europe-scrambles-to-respond-to-trump-tariff-threat-2152">READ: Europe scrambles to respond to Trump tariff threat</a></div><p>Europe is weighing countermeasures after the US president threatened to impose tariffs on eight European countries over the Greenland standoff -- although Washington has said any retaliatory levies would be &quot;unwise&quot;.</p><p>&quot;The proposed additional tariffs are a mistake, especially between long-standing allies,&quot; von der Leyen told the meeting of world business and political leaders.</p><p>&quot;Plunging us into a downward spiral would only aid the very adversaries we are both so committed to keeping out of the strategic landscape. So our response will be unflinching, united and proportional,&quot; she said.</p><p>Trump pressed on with his Greenland campaign on his Truth Social platform, posting a fake photo of himself planting a flag in a rock and ice landscape next to a sign reading &quot;GREENLAND - US TERRITORY EST. 2026&quot;.</p><p>He later wrote he had a &quot;very good&quot; call with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte over mineral-rich Greenland.</p><p>&quot;I agreed to a meeting of the various parties in Davos, Switzerland,&quot; he said late on Monday.</p><p>The US president said he did not think European leaders would &quot;push back too much&quot; on his attempt to buy the vast island, telling reporters on Monday: &quot;They can&#x27;t protect it.&quot;</p><p>Trump has used the argument that he wants to protect Greenland from perceived Russian and Chinese threats as a key justification for taking over the strategically located territory, although analysts suggest Beijing is a small player in the region.</p><p>EU leaders will hold an emergency summit on Greenland in Brussels on Thursday.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/1/18/greenland-minister-praises-european-countries-for-response-to-trump-tariffs-threat-0844" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">READ: Greenland minister praises European countries for response to Trump tariffs threat</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>- Trump vs Macron -</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K0KGC6zbbVQ?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>French President Emmanuel Macron will also address the forum on Tuesday, with his relations with Trump having hit a new low.</p><p>The US leader threatened 200 percent tariffs on French wine and champagne over France&#x27;s intention to decline an invitation to join his &quot;Board of Peace&quot;.</p><p>Analysts have likened the board aimed at resolving international conflicts -- which has a $1 billion fee for a permanent spot -- to a pay-to-play version of the UN Security Council.</p><p>Trump confirmed Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was one of various world leaders invited to join, and told reporters of Macron that &quot;nobody wants him&quot; as he will &quot;be out of office very soon&quot;.</p><p>While Macron will leave on Tuesday without seeing Trump in Davos, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would seek to meet the US president at the forum on Wednesday.</p><p>Macron has instead sent a message to Trump to propose a G7 summit in Paris on Thursday on Greenland, as well as ways to end Russia&#x27;s war with Ukraine, with  Copenhagen, Moscow and Kyiv attending on the sidelines.</p><p>The Kremlin said Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev plans to meet members of the US delegation in Davos -- the first to head to the mountain resort since Russians were excluded from the gathering following Moscow&#x27;s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.</p><p>The United States has sent an unusually large delegation to Davos, in a sign that it wants to make its presence felt at the summit for global economic and political leaders.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2026/1/8/could-trump-s-desire-for-greenland-blow-up-nato-0111">READ: Could Trump&#x27;s desire for Greenland blow up NATO?</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>- China slams &#x27;law of the jungle&#x27; -</strong></div><p>Other prominent foreign leaders addressing the WEF on Tuesday included Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, whose country has been locked in a trade war with Trump.</p><p>&quot;A select few countries should not have privileges based on self-interest, and the world cannot revert to the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak,&quot; He said, without naming any country.</p><p>Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has sought to reduce his country&#x27;s reliance on the United States in its own tariffs feud with Trump, will also speak in Davos later Tuesday.</p><p>As US ties fray, Carney turned the page on years of diplomatic tensions with China during a visit to Beijing last week, securing a preliminary trade agreement to reduce tariffs.</p><p>Other flashpoints on the WEF agenda include the crises in Venezuela, Gaza, Ukraine and Iran.</p><p>UN chief Antonio Guterres, a Davos regular, cancelled his participation after coming down with a &quot;bad cold&quot;, his office said.</p>

<p>European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday an "unflinching" response to Donald Trump's threats over Greenland, as the US president said he was ready to hold a meeting in Davos about the Arctic island.</p>

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday an "unflinching" response to Donald Trump's threats over Greenland, as the US president said he was ready to hold a meeting in Davos about the Arctic island.

EU vows 'unflinching' response to Trump's Greenland gambit

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EU vows 'unflinching' response to Trump's Greenland gambit

Laurent Thomet,

Agence France-Presse

Published Jan 20, 2026 08:57 PM PHT

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Updated Jan 21, 2026 11:48 PM PHT

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