Belgian PM slams Trump over Greenland takeover push
Jan 21, 2026 - 19:00
Bart De Wever has warned the US president against “crossing red lines” with military threats
US President Donald Trump’s threats of military action against Denmark over Greenland are “unheard of,” while tariffs against NATO allies are potentially “catastrophic,” Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has said.
Last week, Trump announced tariffs on eight European NATO countries – Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland – that deployed small military contingents to Greenland, a Danish autonomous territory targeted by Trump for potential US annexation. This has intensified tensions between Washington and its European NATO allies, deepening divisions within the bloc.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, De Wever directed hard rhetoric at the US president for overstepping Europe’s “red lines,” saying the EU is prepared to defend its sovereignty.
“We have to tell Trump as Europe: here and no further. Back down or we’re going all the way,” he said, adding that “the more you indulge him, the more brazen he becomes.”
The prime minister added during a panel discussion at the forum that Europe must make a decisive stance against the US, saying it is “at a crossroads” where it has to choose to either unite or “explode in any possible direction.”
De Wever noted that until now, Europe has tried to “appease” Trump and was “very lenient, hoping to get his support for the Ukraine war.”
“But now, so many red lines are being crossed that you have the choice between your self respect. Being a happy vessel is one thing, being a miserable slave is something else,” he said, arguing that if Europe backs down now it will lose its “dignity.”
He warned that America’s actions could lead to “the end of an era of 80 years of Atlantism,” calling the threats to NATO allies a breaking point.
De Wever is set to meet with Trump on Wednesday in Davos, along with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
