Davos (Switzerland) (AFP) – US President Donald Trump touched down in a tense Davos on Wednesday to give an “America First” speech that will push his world-shaking bid to seize control of Greenland. Trump’s claims over the Danish territory have dominated the meeting in the Swiss ski resort, where Trump landed by helicopter, stepping onto a red carpet laid in the snow. He arrived at the World Economic Forum some two hours behind schedule, after an electrical issue earlier forced Air Force One to turn back to Washington.
The 79-year-old doubled down on his claims over the strategic Arctic island before arriving, but Europe and Canada have closed ranks against what they view as a threat to the US-led global order. Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney warned at Davos of a “rupture” to the US-led system while NATO’s chief called on Wednesday for “thoughtful diplomacy” to resolve one of the biggest crises in transatlantic relations for decades. The united stand drew a rebuke from Trump’s Treasury chief Scott Bessent, who told Europeans to “take a deep breath” and wait for the president’s arrival to see what he has to say. “Do not have this reflexive anger that we’ve seen,” Bessent told reporters in Davos.
Trump’s speech would have an “America First feel” and was expected to touch on Greenland and the US military operation to seize Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro “in the context of his Western Hemisphere focus,” a senior US official said. Huge lines of the world’s business and political elite queued up to see Trump’s speech, with hundreds turned away, AFP reporters saw. He will also tout the US economy, amid growing frustration over the cost of living that could damage Trump’s Republican party in the 2026 midterm elections. Trump is also expected to hold around five bilateral meetings with European leaders in Davos, the official said. But in a sign of the dissent against Trump, the words “No Kings” were dug into the snow overlooking mountain-fringed Davos overnight, referring to a US protest slogan.
Trump insists mineral-rich Greenland is vital for US and NATO security against Russia and China as a melting Arctic opens up and the superpowers jostle for strategic advancement. But NATO chief Mark Rutte told Davos on Wednesday that “thoughtful diplomacy” was needed, as Trump’s claims over another ally’s territory provoke an existential crisis for the group. “There are these tensions at the moment, there’s no doubt,” said Rutte, who has been dubbed the “Trump whisperer” for his ability to deal with the US president. Rutte also pushed back against Trump, who has long told other countries to pay more for the alliance, and who on Tuesday said he doubted NATO would come to the aid of the United States if asked. “I tell him, yes they will,” Rutte said.
France called meanwhile Wednesday for a NATO exercise in Greenland “and is ready to contribute to it,” Macron’s office said. The French president had warned at Davos on Tuesday against US attempts to “subordinate Europe,” and blasted Trump’s “unacceptable” threats to impose tariffs on allies over Greenland. Europe has threatened countermeasures after Trump turned up the pressure by threatening levies of up to 25 percent on eight European countries for backing Denmark.
Canada’s Carney — who has sought to reduce his own country’s dependence on Washington since Trump called for it to become the 51st US state — won a rare standing ovation at Davos for his stance. “We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition,” Carney said of the US-led global system of governance. Greenland’s prime minister said Tuesday that his tiny population of 57,000 must be prepared for military force. On Thursday, meanwhile, Trump is set to formally announce the first charter of his so-called “Board of Peace,” a body for resolving international conflicts with a $1 billion price tag for permanent membership.
© 2024 AFP
