Europe Vows "Unflinching" Response To Trump, Calls Tariffs A "Mistake"

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen vowed an "unflinching" response to US President Donald Trump's threats regarding Greenland. Speaking at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday, von der Leyen warned that Trump risked plunging US ties with the European Union into a "downward spiral" over the autonomous Danish territory.

"Plunging us into a downward spiral would only aid the very adversaries we are both so committed to keeping out of the strategic landscape. So our response will be unflinching, united and proportional," she said.

After reporters asked Trump on Tuesday what he plans to say to European leaders in Davos about his plans for Greenland, he said, "I don't think they're going to push back too much. Look, we have to have it." The Republican leader will address the annual gathering of global elites on Wednesday.

After Trump threatened to apply 10 per cent tariffs to the UK and seven European nations from next month because of their opposition to America's Greenland takeover, Europe has been weighing countermeasures. However, Washington has said any retaliatory tariffs would be "unwise".

In her address, von der Leyen said, "The proposed additional tariffs are a mistake, especially between long-standing allies," adding, "In politics as in business -- a deal is a deal. And when friends shake hands, it must mean something."

The European Union chief also said that the bloc's executive arm is working on a package to support Arctic security. "We are working on a package to support Arctic security," she said.  

The EU is also working on a "massive European investment surge in Greenland", she said, to support the local economy and infrastructure.

The Commission president also said the EU will work with the US and other partners on wider Arctic security, adding that the planned surge in defence spending could be used on a "European icebreaker capability and other equipment vital to the Arctic security."