European leaders speak at Davos ahead of Trump, with the US threatening tariffs over Greenland and EU planning an emergency summit to respond.
DAVOS: European Union leaders are taking the stage at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday ahead of a dominant appearance by US President Donald Trump later this week.
Trump has unsettled the global order by dangling tariff threats against eight European nations in a bid to pressure the EU over Greenland.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron will address the forum alongside Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Trump is scheduled to deliver a speech on Wednesday and participate in further events on Thursday.
Europe is now weighing countermeasures to the US tariff threats over the Greenland standoff.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, leading the American contingent, warned that any EU retaliation “would be very unwise”.
Von der Leyen met a bipartisan US congressional delegation on Monday, stating she had “addressed the need to unequivocally respect the sovereignty of Greenland and of the Kingdom of Denmark”.
While Macron will depart on Tuesday without meeting Trump, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would seek a meeting with the US president on Wednesday.
Merz stated that Germany and other European countries agree “that we want to avoid any escalation in this dispute if at all possible”.
Leaders from the 27-nation bloc will hold an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday to discuss their response.
Finland’s President Alexander Stubb called the “tariff threats at the allied level are unacceptable” at a Davos news conference.
Stubb added they “weaken our transatlantic relationship and, in the worst case, can lead to a vicious cycle”.
When asked if the US might use force over Greenland, Stubb said he did not believe the United States would take military control.
Denmark has proposed that NATO begin surveillance operations in Greenland to confront security concerns.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, also speaking on Tuesday, has sought to reduce his country’s reliance on the US as Trump raised tariffs on Canadian products.
Carney recently secured a preliminary trade agreement with China during a visit to Beijing last week.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, whose country has had long-running trade spats with Trump, will also address the WEF.
Other global flashpoints on the agenda include the crises in Venezuela, Gaza, Ukraine and Iran.
The United States has sent an unusually large delegation to Davos to promote its agenda.
Bessent and other US officials will attend panels at the forum’s congress centre and at a dedicated “USA House” venue.