Looking serious, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer took to the podium on Monday morning and made a compelling case for a respectful, deliberate dialogue with Donald Trump on the Greenland issue, warning the UK was too vulnerable economically and militarily to be driven by emotion.
“The right way to approach the discussion on such a sensitive issue is a calm dialogue between the allies,” he said.
Even Starmer’s enemies in Britain’s right-wing opposition parties had to agree his cool response – which included praising the role of historic US leadership while opposing the president’s coercion – was the right approach.
Then within hours, it all blew up in Starmer’s face.
In societyIn a press release on Tuesday night, Trump called Starmer’s unrelated decision to abandon Diego Garcia, a UK-administered island in the Indian Ocean that is part of the Chagos Islands, “ an act of great folly.”
“What’s shocking is that our ‘smart’ NATO ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to hand over the island of Diego Garcia, the site of an important US military base to Mauritius, and do so ANYTIME.,” Trump wrote.
Trump appeared to suggest that the US cannot trust weak allies when it comes to protecting its security interests, linking the Chagos islands decision to his pressing need to acquire Greenland.
Ignore that a few months agoTrump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for the return of British Prime Minister Diego Garcia Mauritius – in exchange for a long-term contract for a military base there – “a big success.”
And never mind that Trump’s own people were involved in negotiating that deal.
‘Grow a spine’
Trump’s desire to make Greenland, an independent Danish territory, part of the United States, has grown into a threat to the NATO alliance and the entire post-war conflict. order.
The Trump administration has made it clear that it wants to take control of Greenland and has not ruled out using the military. Nationally, CBC’s Eli Glasner explains why the US has called annexing the sparsely populated island a ‘national security priority.’
However, despite the fact that Prime Minister Starmer has presented many red carpets to Trump in the recent state visit to Britain hosted by King Charles and has resorted to all kinds of diplomatic fun to try to get good trade results in the UK, the US president has not shown any restraint in deliberately humiliating Starmer when necessary.im.
“It’s time for the government to stand up to Trump; appeasing a bully doesn’t work,” Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said on social media on Tuesday.
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California who aspires to be the next Democratic president, went further on Tuesday while attending World Eco.Famous forum in Davos, Switzerland. He called on European leaders to “grow a backbone,” suggesting that Europe gets its due by trying to play nice with a president who is naturally intransigent.and mind.
“I can’t take this,” Newsom said. “Get off your knees and grow a spine.”
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who has decades of experience in dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin, similarly shot down his European counterparts.
“Complaining is always a sign of weakness. Europe cannot be weak – either against its enemies or the alliance.”
A strategy that fails
Ian Lesser with the German Marshall Fund think-tank in Berlin said it is fair to say that European efforts to manage Trump are failing.
“It is a time of great difficulty and test for transatlantic relations,” Lesser said. “[Trump] It seems to be very focused on this desire to find Greenland and nothing will stop us.”
As US President Donald Trump continues to talk about taking over Greenland – or possibly by force – Denmark and its European allies have sent a small number of troops to the independent island. The move comes after a high-level meeting in Washington between top Danish and Greenlandic politicians and Trump’s delegation.
Starmer’s efforts to maintain dialogue while avoiding escalation with Trump are in line with the approach of many other European leaders.
But Trump’s reaction shows that the authoritarian-leaning president is perfectly willing to throw his allies under the bus, even if they’re doing everything they can to please him, Lesser said.
“The president is really there setting these goals and doing this discussion aloneelf,” said Lesser. “And tthe hat makes it very difficult to confront him about these things.”
In addition to insulting the British Starmer, on Tuesday night, Trump also sent private messages sent by French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO head Mark Rutte, where they talked about wanting to meet to reduce the temperature on the Greenland issue.
Trump’s decision to make his personal messages public on Truth Social could hinder the ability of other leaders to have serious conversations. – and maybe he’s suggesting Trump little interest in their opinion.
British commentators have long questioned whether Starmer’s “appeasement” risked making the UK look weak. However, after Trump broke out of the Chagos Islands, it was also acknowledged that most of the leaders are walking a tightrope.
“There is no guaranteed path to Donald Trump’s good books,” reporter Jenni Russell said on a Times Radio podcast.St. “We handle it a person who is a cross between a ferocious animal … and a gang boss. And on the other hand, a person who is very prone to flattery.”
Risky response
Britain and the rest of Europe have ways to push back against Trump. But every option comes with a risk.
Trump famously criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office last year, telling him – wrongly – that he had no “cards” to play in a war with Russia.
But in an analysis published this week called “Arctic Hold ‘Em,” the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) suggests 10 “cards” that give European countries an advantage.anger against Trump. It also includes building a coalition of European countries against the US annexation of Greenland and ensuring that Greenland and Denmark – who have always disagreed over the island’s future – now speak with one voice.
The ECFR also said it is important for Europeans to engage with “internal groups [U.S.] administration, including military officials, who like to exercise restraint in Greenland,” noting that there is strong opposition beyond the White House to Trump’s enforcement of Greenland.
The poker-themed critique of the think tank went on to suggest that Europe should pre-announce economic sanctions against any American company “exploiting Greenland’s resources under US occupation.”
The ECFR says that since Trump seems to want to move quickly on Greenland, anything Europe can do to slow the process is beneficial.
Jacob Funk Kirkegaard and the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel agree.
“Denmark and Europe want to wind down the clock, hopefully to the end of the Republican primary seathe son [about mid-2026]there the hope is that that will free his power from the Republicans in Congress,” said Kirkegaard.
Kirkegaard says he believes that Europeans must reassure themselves that economic pain is inevitable in Greenland.
“I think the EU now has to realize how high the stakes are – that this is not just another trade war, it’s actually the European Union fighting a trade war to discourage Donald Trump from launching a war. the original [war],” he saidd.
Trump said eight NATO members – including the UK, which sent small troops to Greenland in a show of support for Denmark – would face tariffs of 10 percent from February 1, rising to more than 25 percent in June, and remaing in place uuntil Trump takes control of the island.
On Tuesday, the European Parliament took the first steps to retaliate by suspending the ratification of the US-Europe trade agreement, and has raised the possibility of retaliating with new tariffs if Trump introduces his own.
The EU could also impose restrictions on US companies doing business in Europe, an extreme step never attempted before.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday, the Prime Minister of Belgium Bart De Wever spoke about the need to stop putting Trump, making the strongest comment of the day.
“We were soft, we were hoping to get it [Trump’s] support for the war in Ukraine,” said De Wever.
“If you back down now, you will lose your dignity,” he continued. Being a happy slave is another thing.
