Bart De Wever, the Belgian prime minister, said 80 years of Atlanticism could be coming to an end.<\/span> Photograph: Denis Balibouse\/Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSenior MEPs on the European parliament\u2019s international trade committee are expected to announce on Wednesday the formal suspension of ratification of the EU-US trade deal sealed in July, after a deal between the largest political groups, a European parliament source said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not a question about the Kingdom of Denmark, it is about the entire transatlantic relationship,\u201d Denmark\u2019s economy minister, Stephanie Lose, said in Brussels. \u201cAt this point in time, we do not believe that anything should be ruled out.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said that US relations with Europe were strong and urged partners to \u201ctake a deep breath\u201d and let tensions over Greenland \u201cplay out\u201d.<\/p>\n
Bessent said a solution would be found and European \u201chysteria\u201d was unjustified. \u201cIt\u2019s been 48 hours. Sit back, relax,\u201d he said. \u201cI am confident the leaders will not escalate and that this will work out in a manner that ends up in a very good place for all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump has rocked the EU and Nato by refusing to rule out using military force to seize Greenland, a strategically important, mineral-rich island that is covered by many of the protections offered by the two organisations since Denmark is a member of both.<\/p>\n
Greenland\u2019s prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said in the capital, Nuuk, that it was \u201cunlikely\u201d military force would be used, but it could be. \u201cGreenland is part of Nato, and if there is an escalation, it will have consequences for the outside world,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, speaking in the Danish parliament, said that \u201cthe worst may still be ahead of us\u201d. Frederiksen added that her country had \u201cnever sought conflict. We have consistently sought cooperation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trump has repeatedly said the US needs to take control of Greenland for \u201cnational security\u201d, despite the US already having a military base on the island and a bilateral agreement with Denmark allowing it to massively expand its presence there.<\/p>\n
Von der Leyen said in her speech that the EU was working on a package for Arctic security based on Greenlandic and Danish sovereignty, a big investment surge in Greenland, and cooperation with the US in the region.<\/p>\n
The Danish public broadcaster TV2 reported that 58 Danish troops had landed in Greenland on Tuesday to join about 60 others who were dispatched earlier for a multinational military exercise, Operation Arctic Endurance<\/a>.<\/p>\nEuropean leaders are considering establishing a more permanent military presence in the high north to help guarantee security in the Arctic region, a key US demand, the Swedish defence minister, P\u00e5l Jonson, said.<\/p>\n
Ukraine\u2019s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said he had no plans to travel to Davos but could change his plans if his delegation and US officials make a breakthrough in peace efforts aimed at ending the war in his country.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#Europe #crossroads #Trumps #threats #seize #Greenland #leaders #European #Union<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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