Live: France calls for NATO exercise in Greenland
· France 24
21/01/2026 - 09:28
Strife between allies will ‘only embolden’ adversaries, EU chief warns
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen warned that tensions with the United States over Greenland would embolden rivals of the West, describing President Donald Trump’s threat to slap tariffs on European allies as “wrong”.
“If we are now plunging into a dangerous downward spiral between allies, this would only embolden the very adversaries we are both so committed to keeping out of the strategic landscape,” von der Leyen told European lawmakers in Strasbourg.
“We are at a crossroads. Europe prefers dialogue and solutions—but we are fully prepared to act, if necessary, with unity, urgency and determination.”
21/01/2026 - 09:22
- Trump row over Greenland derails Ukraine postwar deal, FT reports
- France asks for NATO exercise in Greenland
- US Treasury secretary decries Europe’s ‘anger’ over tariff threat
- ECB’s Lagarde says European economy needs ‘deep review’ to face new world order
- Trump’s Greenland tariffs would dent EU growth by 0.5%, Austrian central bank says
21/01/2026 - 09:19
Trump’s Greenland tariffs would dent EU growth by 0.5%, Austrian central bank says
The tariffs President Donald Trump has vowed to impose on eight European countries until the US is allowed to buy Greenland would trim European Union economic growth eventually by 0.5 percent, a study by the Austrian National Bank showed.
“Using trade policy threats as a means of political pressure increases the risks for the global economy” and would accelerate inflation in the US, the central bank’s Governor Martin Kocher said in a statement accompanying a research note on the planned tariffs.
“Due to the direct impact on some countries, the effects on the Eurozone-20 and the EU are significantly greater (than on Austria), at around minus 0.1 percent in the short term and minus 0.5 percent in the long term,” the study said.
Austria is not one of the eight countries targeted by Trump.
21/01/2026 - 09:17
EU stands ready to defend itself against coercion, Costa says
The European Union will defend itself against any form of coercion and will protect the international rules-based order and international law, EU Council President Antonio Costa said.
“We stand ready to defend ourselves, our member states, our citizens, our companies, against any form of coercion. And the European Union has the power and the tools to do so,” Costa said in a speech in European Parliament.
“We cannot accept that the law of the strongest prevails over the rights of the weakest,” Costa said.
“Because international rules are not optional. And alliances cannot just boil down to a sequence of transactions.”
21/01/2026 - 08:59
China says has no intention of competing with other nations for influence
China has no intention of competing with any other country for influence, its foreign ministry said, as the US push to take control of Greenland threatens to reshape the power dynamics behind a decades-old transatlantic security alliance.
China has always maintained that, no matter how the international situation evolves, upholding the international system with the United Nations at its core serves the interests of the international community, said Guo Jiakun, spokesperson at the Chinese foreign ministry, when asked at a regular news briefing if Beijing welcomed the “chaos” in Greenland.
21/01/2026 - 08:54
ECB’s Lagarde says European economy needs ‘deep review’ to face new world order
The European economy needs a “deep review” to face “the dawn of a new international order”, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde told French radio RTL.
Lagarde said she only expected a slight inflationary effect from US tariffs, with a stronger impact on Germany than on France, but she added European countries would be much stronger if they scrapped non-tariff trade barriers within the bloc.
Trump vowed on Saturday to implement a wave of increasing tariffs from February 1 on EU members Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland, along with Britain and Norway, until the US. is allowed to buy Greenland, a step major EU states decried as blackmail.
21/01/2026 - 08:40
Trump 'about three hours late' to Davos after plane incident
US President Donald Trump will be about three hours late to Davos after an electrical issue on Air Force One forced him to change planes, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
21/01/2026 - 08:37
Time for Europe to wake up amid US threats, ECB’S Villeroy says
Europe must wake up in the face of threats of fresh tariffs by US President Donald Trump if Europe does not let him take over Greenland, European Central Bank policymaker François Villeroy de Galhau said.
“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.
21/01/2026 - 08:36
US Treasury secretary decries Europe’s ‘anger’ over tariff threat
US Secretary Treasury Scott Bessent has decried Europe’s “anger” and “bitterness” over Trump’s tariff threat.
Bessent urged the European Union to wait for Trump to arrive in Davos. He said he believes Europeans will be persuaded to support Trump’s concerns about Greenland once they hear his argument.
“I will tell everyone: take a deep breath. Do not have this reflexive anger that we’ve seen and this bitterness,” Bessent told reporters.
21/01/2026 - 07:51
Polish FM says Europe must be firm on tariffs, but de-escalation preferable
It would be preferable to reduce tensions between the United States and Europe over tariffs, Polish Finance Minister Andrzej Domanski told CNBC in Davos, adding that nevertheless Europe must be firm and remain united.
“De-escalation is, of course, what would be the preferable path,” he said.
“There’s no need for further escalating of this situation, but at the same time, the European response must be firm and, once again, we will not get divided by anyone.”
21/01/2026 - 06:55
France asks for NATO exercise in Greenland
France has asked for a NATO exercise in Greenland and is ready to contribute to it, French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said.
21/01/2026 - 06:18
Trump row over Greenland derails Ukraine postwar deal, FT reports
European opposition to US President Donald Trump’s bid to acquire Greenland and his proposed “Board of Peace” initiative has disrupted plans for an economic support package for postwar Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.
A planned announcement of an $800 billion prosperity plan to be agreed between Ukraine, Europe and the US at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week has been delayed, the FT reported, citing six officials.
21/01/2026 - 06:13
Trump departs for Davos forum again after switching to new plane
21/01/2026 - 05:55
Trump's plane returns to air base after 'minor' electrical issue, says White House
US President Donald Trump's plane was forced to return to an air base late Tuesday due to a "minor electrical issue" shortly after departing for Switzerland, the White House said.
Air Force One returned to Joint Base Andrews out of an abundance of caution, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. It landed shortly after 11:00 pm (0400 GMT).
Journalists traveling with Trump reported that lights in the cabin went out briefly after takeoff.
Trump and his entourage will switch to another plane and continue the trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, where the US president was expected to face off with European leaders over his bid to seize Greenland.
21/01/2026 - 05:26
Trump heads for Davos maelstrom over Greenland
US President Donald Trump descends on Davos for a showdown with European leaders Wednesday as his bid to seize Greenland threatens to tear the transatlantic alliance apart.
Trump brutally mocked the Europeans a day before heading to the World Economic Forum, where he will be the star of a dark, self-made drama over the fate of the autonomous Danish territory.
But 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.
“I’m going to a beautiful place in Switzerland where I’m sure I’m very happily awaited for,” Trump said with a smile at a White House briefing to mark his first year back in power, before leaving for Davos.
21/01/2026 - 00:39
21/01/2026 - 00:39
- EU chief vows 'unflinching' response to Trump's Greenland threats
- Trump says agreed to meeting on Greenland in Davos with 'various parties'
- Trump says Europe will not 'push back too much' on his Greenland bid
- US Treasury Secretary dismisses possible use of EU anti-coercion tool
- Macron tells Davos of a 'shift towards a world without rules'
- Greenland's PM says use of force against island can't be ruled out
Yesterday's key developments:
- The United States and NATO will come to an agreement on the future of Greenland that will satisfy both sides, US President Donald Trump told a press conference on Tuesday.
- US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he would not attend an emergency meeting of G7 nations to discuss the war in Ukraine that was proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron.
- French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that the NATO military alliance was now a "weakened institution" in the context of US President Donald Trump's aim to take over Greenland, a semi-autonomous Danish territory.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)