Trump undermines key allies UK and France before Davos visit

United States President Donald Trump has doubled down connected his bid to instrumentality implicit Greenland earlier his quality astatine the World Economic Forum successful Davos, Switzerland, by slamming cardinal allies.

Trump shared backstage substance messages from French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO main Mark Rutte and justified his assertive posture implicit the Arctic land with a swipe astatine the United Kingdom’s determination to cede its past African colony to Mauritius.

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The US president’s flurry of Greenland-focused societal media posts connected Tuesday saw him impeach the UK of “GREAT STUPIDITY” for its determination to cede sovereignty implicit the Indian Ocean archipelago of Chagos, which is location to a cardinal British-American subject basal connected Diego Garcia atoll, to Mauritius.

The UK’s determination followed Mauritius’s ineligible triumph successful a landmark decolonisation lawsuit astatine the International Court of Justice 7 years agone aft it had been strong-armed by the UK into selling the assemblage territory for 3 cardinal pounds (today worthy $4m) successful speech for its independency successful 1968. Under a bilateral deal signed successful 2025, the UK retains power of the airbase connected a semipermanent lease.

Trump, who had antecedently appeared to backmost the UK’s effort to close what is wide perceived arsenic a assemblage incorrect nether the rules-based planetary order, lashed retired astatine the UK’s “act of full weakness”, which helium said would person been noted by China and Russia.

“These are International Powers who lone admit STRENGTH, which is wherefore the United States of America, nether my leadership, is now, aft lone 1 year, respected similar ne'er before,” the US president posted. “The UK giving distant highly important onshore is an enactment of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is different successful a precise agelong enactment of National Security reasons wherefore Greenland has to beryllium acquired.”

A UK authorities spokesperson said successful a statement: “We acted due to the fact that the basal connected Diego Garcia was nether menace aft tribunal decisions undermined our presumption and would person prevented it operating arsenic intended successful future.” The bilateral pact has yet to beryllium ratified by the UK Parliament.

Trump’s recently voiced absorption to the transportation of the archipelago volition beryllium applauded not lone by right-wing opponents of the determination successful the UK but besides by immoderate Chagos islanders and their descendants who reason the transportation of their homeland to Mauritius.

Trump attacks Macron

Trump’s fusillade came earlier his sojourn to the World Economic Forum connected Wednesday arsenic Europe weighs countermeasures aft helium promised to enforce additional tariffs connected 8 European countries – Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland – successful a bid to unit them implicit Greenland.

Keeping up the push, Trump posted a screenshot of a connection from Macron, who offered to acceptable up a Group of Seven gathering successful Paris connected Thursday day to sermon disagreements implicit Greenland with the information of Ukraine, Denmark, Syria and Russia connected the sidelines.

“My friend, we are wholly aligned connected Syria. We tin bash large things successful Iran. I don’t recognize what you are doing successful Greenland,” Macron said successful his message, which was confirmed arsenic authentic by a root adjacent to Macron connected Tuesday, according to the Reuters quality agency.

Upping the ante, Trump threatened to deed French vino and champagne with 200 percent tariffs successful an evident bid to cajole a reluctant Macron into joining his “board of peace” initiative, which is being rolled retired successful Gaza with a presumption to expanding its remit to different conflicts, raising questions implicit the aboriginal relation of the United Nations.

A root adjacent to Macron said the French president intended to diminution the invitation to join.

When asked astir Macron’s stance connected Monday, Trump replied: “Did helium accidental that? Well, cipher wants him due to the fact that helium volition beryllium retired of bureau precise soon.”

“I’ll enactment a 200 percent tariff connected his wines and champagnes, and he’ll join, but helium doesn’t person to join,” Trump was quoted by the quality bureau AFP arsenic saying.

A root adjacent to Macron, who indispensable measurement down arsenic president successful 2027 due to the fact that of word limits, told AFP connected Tuesday that Trump’s threats to enforce the tariffs were “unacceptable” and “ineffective”.

Setting the country for Davos, Trump besides reported connected societal media that helium had “a precise bully telephone call” with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and helium had agreed to a gathering connected Greenland.

“As I expressed to everyone, precise plainly, Greenland is imperative for National and World Security. There tin beryllium nary going backmost – On that, everyone agrees!” helium posted.

Later connected Tuesday, Trump went connected to station a screenshot of what helium said was a substance connection from Rutte, who past twelvemonth referred to the US president arsenic “daddy”. The screenshot made a flattering connection to “highlight your work” successful Syria, Gaza and Ukraine portion highlighting NATO’s committedness to “finding a mode guardant connected Greenland”.

‘We person to person it’

Trump’s posts connected Tuesday besides included a doctored representation of him planting the US emblem adjacent to a motion speechmaking “Greenland, US Territory, Est. 2026”.

Asked by reporters connected Monday what helium planned to accidental to European leaders in Davos about his Greenland plan, Trump said: “I don’t deliberation they’re going to propulsion backmost excessively much. Look, we person to person it.”

Earlier, helium had linked his assertive stance to past year’s determination not to grant him the Nobel Peace Prize helium profoundly coveted, telling Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store that helium nary longer felt “an work to deliberation purely of Peace” successful a substance connection released connected Monday.

Store said helium would alteration his docket to be the World Economic Forum successful Davos connected Wednesday and Thursday, overlapping with Trump’s planned appearance.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Trump’s planned tariffs implicit Greenland “a mistake particularly betwixt long-standing allies” and vowed that Europe’s effect would beryllium “unflinching, agreed and proportional”.

“Plunging america into a downward spiral would lone assistance the precise adversaries we are some truthful committed to keeping retired of the strategical landscape,” said von der Leyen successful a keynote code astatine Davos.

She said that the European Union was moving connected a “massive European concern surge” successful Greenland, pledging to “work with the United States and each partners connected wider Arctic security”.

“This is intelligibly successful our shared interest,” she said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said helium would effort to conscionable Trump connected Wednesday, adding that a commercialized quality was not wanted, but “if we are confronted with tariffs that we see unreasonable, past we are susceptible of responding.”

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters successful Davos it would beryllium “very unwise” for European governments to retaliate.

“I deliberation it’s a implicit canard that the president volition beryllium doing this due to the fact that of the Nobel Prize. The president is looking astatine Greenland arsenic a strategical plus for the United States,” helium said.

EU leaders are to convene successful Brussels connected Thursday evening for an exigency acme aft Trump’s threats to enforce caller tariffs connected six of its members.