Europe Von der Leyen sees EU and USA at a crossroads over Greenland
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sees transatlantic relations at a critical point due to the Greenland conflict. "We are at a crossroads," said von der Leyen in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
21.01.2026, 10:41
SDA
Europe favors dialogue and solutions, but is fully prepared to act if necessary. "United, fast, determined", emphasized von der Leyen.
The additional tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump against European allies were simply wrong. If a dangerous downward spiral were now to occur within the alliance, this would encourage the very opponents that they so clearly wanted to keep out of the strategic landscape.
Regarding Greenland, von der Leyen said that the island was not simply an area rich in critical raw materials and a strategic outpost on increasingly important global sea routes. Above all, it is the home of a free and sovereign people. "It is a nation with its own sovereignty and its own right to territorial integrity. And only the Greenlanders decide the future of Greenland," she emphasized with regard to the USA's claims to ownership.
"Change harbors many dangers"
Von der Leyen also prepared the MPs for difficult times ahead. "This moment of global change harbors many dangers," she said. Europe must now be prepared to change even faster and become even more independent in order to secure its own future. "This will not be easy," she added. Difficult decisions will have to be made and all actions will have to be seen in a broader context.
The heads of state and government of the EU member states are meeting this Thursday evening in Brussels for a special summit on the Greenland conflict. The aim is to discuss possible responses to Trump's latest tariff threats. The US President wants to break the resistance to the sale of the island of Greenland, which belongs to Denmark, to the United States. The EU is considering counter-tariffs if the US tariffs come into force.
Council President: Cannot accept the law of the jungle
EU Council President António Costa also referred to huge geopolitical challenges before the plenary session. He criticized the fact that the international rules-based order was being undermined and central alliances were being called into question. "But the European Union will emerge from all of this stronger, more resilient and more sovereign," he said in Strasbourg. "We cannot accept that the rights of the strongest take precedence over the rights of the weakest." Alliances should not be reduced to a mere sequence of transactions. The EU is prepared to defend itself against any form of coercion. It has the instruments at its disposal. It wants to continue a constructive dialog with the USA.
