UK's Starmer says 'will not yield' to Trump pressure over Greenland

by AFP Staff Writers
London (AFP) Jan 21, 2026

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament on Wednesday he would not give in to pressure from US President Donald Trump over the future of the autonomous Danish territory Greenland.

"I will not yield, Britain will not yield on our principles and values about the future of Greenland under threats of tariffs, and that is my clear position," he told lawmakers, adding he would host Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen in London on Thursday.

Trump has threatened to slap tariffs on Britain and other European countries for opposing his claims on Greenland.

Starmer was also taunted in parliament by opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch over Trump's condemnation of his government's Chagos Islands deal.

The Chagos agreement will see Britain hand the archipelago -- some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) northeast of Mauritius -- to its former colony and pay to lease the US-UK military base there for a century.

Trump blasted it Tuesday on social media as an act of "great stupidity".

Responding to the criticism, Starmer told MPs: "The words from President Trump were expressly intended to put pressure on me to yield on my principles. What he said about Chagos was literally in the same sentence as what he said about Greenland. That was his purpose.

"And the future of Greenland is a binary issue that is splitting the world at the moment, with material consequences. I've been clear and consistent in my position on the future of Greenland. The future is for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark alone," he said.

Time to stop 'flattering' Trump: ex-NATO chief on Greenland crisis
Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Jan 20, 2026 - NATO is facing the biggest crisis in its history over Donald Trump's Greenland threats, and the time for "flattering" the US leader is over, former alliance chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen told AFP Tuesday.

"It's not only a crisis for NATO, it's a crisis for the transatlantic community at large, and a challenge to the world order as we have known it since World War Two," he said in an interview from the World Economic Forum in Davos.

"It is the future of NATO and the future of the world order that are at stake."

Rasmussen, a former Danish prime minister who led NATO from 2009 to 2014, urged the alliance's current head, Mark Rutte, and other European leaders to start taking a tougher line with the US president after he threatened tariffs.

"We have to change strategy and conclude that the only thing that Trump respects is force, strength and unity," Rasmussen said.

"That's exactly what Europe should demonstrate. The time for flattering is over. Enough is enough."

Rasmussen's comments came as European leaders -- including Rutte -- brace for meetings with Trump in Davos to try to talk him down.

Rasmussen insisted the current crisis swirling around NATO could still be "fixed" and the alliance could emerge stronger in the Arctic region.

But, he said, Trump's actions had already created a "mental break" between Washington and its long-time European allies which benefited Russia and China.

"This is a new situation that differs from all other disputes we have seen in the history of NATO," he said.

"If Trump would attack Greenland and take military action against Greenland, that would de facto mean the end of NATO."

- Distracting from Ukraine -

Rasmussen, 72, said that the Greenland issue had become a "weapon of mass distraction" for Trump that was drawing attention away from Russia's war in Ukraine.

"Everybody's now speaking about Greenland, which is not a real threat to North Atlantic security," he said.

"Russia's attack against Ukraine is the real threat, and attention should not be distracted from this real threat."

The former Danish premier, who led his country from 2001 to 2009, said that there needed to be a "constructive dialogue" now with the United States on Greenland.

He said Copenhagen and Washington could update their 1951 agreement governing troop deployments in Greenland, open the territory to US firms for mineral extraction and agree to keep Russia and China out.

But there could be no compromise on the fundamental question of ceding territory to Trump.

"We can accommodate all his wishes, except one," Rasmussen said.

"Greenland is not for sale and as a real estate expert he should know if an estate is not for sale you can't purchase it."

In 'raw power' world, Europe must shed 'traditional caution': EU chief
Strasbourg, France (AFP) Jan 21, 2026 - EU chief Ursula von der Leyen warned Wednesday the 27-nation bloc must move faster to boost its economy and defences, faced with a new world order defined by "raw power".

Addressing the European Parliament, von der Leyen said Europe had to toughen up to influence the world around it -- while warning the United States that strife between "allies" over Greenland would only embolden rivals of the West.

"The shift in the international order is not only seismic, but it is permanent," she told lawmakers, citing the "volatile situation" around Greenland, but also Russia's relentless bombing of Ukraine and tensions from the Middle East to the Indo-Pacific.

"We will need a departure from Europe's traditional caution," said the European Commission President.

"We now live in a world defined by raw power -- whether economic or military, technological or geopolitical. And while many of us may not like it, we must deal with the world as it is now."

Speaking as US President Donald Trump was on his way to the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, von der Leyen described his threat to slap tariffs on European allies as "simply wrong".

"If we are now plunging into a dangerous downward spiral between allies, this would only embolden the very adversaries we are both so committed to keeping out of the strategic landscape," she said.

"We are at a crossroads," von der Leyen told lawmakers, as EU leaders prepare to meet Thursday in Brussels to forge a common response to Trump's threats.

"Europe prefers dialogue and solutions -- but we are fully prepared to act, if necessary, with unity, urgency and determination," she said.

Trump insists that 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 his push to acquire it from Denmark has enraged European leaders, plunging US-EU relations to an historic low.

NATO chief says 'thoughtful diplomacy' only way to deal with Greenland crisis
Davos, Switzerland (AFP) Jan 21, 2026 - NATO chief Mark Rutte said Wednesday "thoughtful diplomacy" was needed to deal with tensions over Greenland, as President Donald Trump headed to Davos pushing US claims on the territory.

"I see that there are these tensions at the moment, there's no doubt. Again, I'm not going to comment on that, but I can assure you, the only way to deal with that is, in the end, thoughtful diplomacy," Rutte said at the World Economic Forum.

"You can be assured that I'm working on this issue behind the scenes, but I cannot do it in public."

The alliance head is set to meet Trump in the Swiss ski resort as the president's push to take over Greenland from Denmark has rocked NATO.

Rutte has sought to deflect Trump's interest in the Danish autonomous territory into a broader discussion at NATO on bolstering Arctic security.

"When it comes to the Arctic, I think President Trump is right. Other leaders in NATO are right. We need to defend the Arctic," he said.

Rutte dismissed fears that the crisis over Greenland could cause to the collapse of the 76-year-old alliance.

"NATO is crucial, not only for the defence of Europe, but also for the defence of the United States," he said.

"For the United States to stay safe, you need a safe Arctic, a safe Atlantic and a safe Europe."

The NATO secretary general pushed back at repeated comments from Trump casting doubt on whether Europe would help defend the United States if asked.

"I tell him, yes they will," Rutte said.

"I have no doubt the US will come to the rescue here, and we will come to the rescue of the US."

Speaking alongside Rutte in Davos, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he believed a diplomatic solution could be found on Greenland.

"You have two schools of thought here on Greenland. One is to de-escalate, and the other one is to escalate, to de-escalate. And I think at the end of the day, we'll find an off ramp," he said.

Trump has threatened to slap tariffs on European allies who oppose his designs on Greenland -- leading the European Union to mull hitting back against Washington with trade countermeasures.