European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 20, 2026. FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday, January 20, an "unflinching" response to Donald Trump's threats over Greenland, as the president of the United States said he was ready to hold a meeting in Davos about the Arctic island. In a speech to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss ski resort, von der Leyen warned that Trump risked plunging US ties with the European Union into a "downward spiral" over the autonomous Danish territory.
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. 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 "unwise."
"The proposed additional tariffs are a mistake, especially between long-standing allies," von der Leyen told the meeting of world business and political leaders. "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."
