A wave of condemnation swept across the ongoing Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday as U.S. President Donald Trump's renewed push to acquire Greenland sparked fierce backlash from European and Canadian leaders.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a special address at the forum that "Denmark's sovereignty and territorial integrity are non-negotiable," reaffirming the European Union (EU)'s full solidarity with Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark.
Von der Leyen said the EU also plans to channel a major European investment push into Greenland to support the local economy and infrastructure, while using the bloc's defense spending increase to bolster European icebreaker capability and other equipment seen as vital to Arctic security.
She said Europe must adjust to a "new security architecture and realities" and is preparing its own security strategy, including an upgraded Arctic strategy, to be published later this year.
Von der Leyen also warned that proposed additional tariffs by U.S. President Donald Trump linked to Greenland would be "a mistake especially between long-standing allies."
Meahwhile, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, while speaking at the European Parliament on the same day, criticized the U.S. approach.
Sovereignty is not for sale, and no country has the right to take over the territory of another, she said.
In his speech at the Davos forum, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that the international system is being reshaped through force. He criticized escalating U.S. tariffs as "an endless accumulation" and "fundamentally unacceptable," especially when used as a leverage against territorial sovereignty.
Macron urged the EU to activate its anti-coercion mechanism and strengthen its stance in an era of growing geopolitical competition. The French president also called on the international community to uphold sovereign equality and multilateral cooperation, and reject the logic that power alone should dictate outcomes.
Echoing the European leaders, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also took a strong stance at the Dovos forum on Tuesday.
"We stand firmly with Greenland and Denmark and fully support their unique right to determine Greenland's future," Carney said.
The Canadian prime minister condemned the proposed tariffs as the "weaponization of economic integration" and called for renewed multilateral cooperation.
On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that his administration would impose a 10 percent tariff starting February 1 on all goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland in response to their resistance to a proposed U.S. acquisition of Greenland.
Tariffs would escalate to 25 percent on June 1 unless a deal is reached, the U.S. president said on social media.
EU, Canadian leaders reject US tariff threats over Greenland
