Europe told to 'take a deep breath' for Trump Davos speech

 Europe should take a “deep breath” and listen to Donald Trump’s arguments for seizing Greenland, the US said before the president’s keenly anticipated speech in Davos.

Scott Bessent, the Treasury secretary, warned Europeans not to give in to “reflexive anger” or “bitterness” after Mr Trump threatened them with tariffs unless Denmark sells the Arctic island.

Mr Trump is on his way to the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort, which has been overshadowed by the showdown over the Danish autonomous territory.

He was scheduled to speak at 1.30pm UK time on Wednesday. However, after being forced to return to Washington and change planes because of an electrical issue on Air Force One, he landed late, at 11:40am UK time.

Mr Bessent told reporters in Davos: “I will tell everyone: take a deep breath. Do not have this reflexive anger that we’ve seen and this bitterness.

“Why don’t they sit down, wait for President Trump to get here and listen to his argument because I think they are going to be persuaded.”

While Greenland is dominating the conversation in Davos, Mr Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, ⁠said he would meet with Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, in Moscow on Thursday to discuss the Ukraine war.

Mark ‍Rutte, the Nato secretary general, said that Greenland should not distract from Ukraine.

“The focus on Ukraine should be ‍the number one priority, it is crucial for European and US ‍security,” Mr Rutte said in a panel discussion.

“I ​am really ‍worried that we lose ⁠sight and ​that in ‌the meantime, Ukrainians ⁠won’t ‍have enough interceptors to defend themselves.”

But Greenland is still top of the agenda.

Mr 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.

He argues that Denmark, which refuses to sell the island, cannot defend Greenland but Copenhagen’s European allies insist its future is up to the Danes and Greenlanders alone.

In a sign of vulnerability, more than 18,500 homes on Denmark’s Bornholm island were left without power on Wednesday morning after an alleged fault in an undersea cable. The Baltic Sea island is strategically important for Denmark, and was previously invaded by Soviet Russia.

The US president has warned he will hit Denmark, as well as other Nato allies including Britain, France, Norway, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland with a 10 per cent tariff on all goods from Feb 1.

‘Unflinching’ response to Trump

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, told the meeting of global political and business elites on Tuesday that the 27-nation bloc would be “unflinching” in its response.

Emmanuel Macron, the French president, vowed to stand up against “bullies”.

Bart De Wever, the Belgian prime minister, compared Mr Trump to the greedy “Very Hungry Caterpillar” from Eric Carle’s children’s book.

Mr Bessent said that the statements from the EU and French leaders were “inflammatory”.

The UK is not considering retaliatory tariffs for fear of triggering an economically damaging trade war.

EU nations are divided between those wanting negotiation and others who think appeasing Mr Trump will not work.

France has called for the EU to use its anti-coercion instrument, nicknamed the “trade bazooka”, which would shut US firms out of the bloc’s Single Market.