FT: Europeans at the Davos forum are preparing to shift the focus of attention from Ukraine to Greenland

The leaders of European states and their delegations, who will meet with the US President by Donald Trump and American officials at the World Economic Forum in Davos are preparing to shift the focus from Ukraine to Greenland and new American tariffs. This was reported by the newspaper The Financial Times citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

Three days ago, EU leaders were preparing to spend this week in Davos, trying to convince Trump to promise security guarantees for Ukraine. Today, they wake up wondering if they can trust his promises at all, the article says.

The media recalled that on Saturday evening, Trump promised to impose additional tariffs on six European Union countries, as well as on NATO allies Norway and Great Britain, to punish them for opposing his desire to take control of Greenland.

The crisis surrounding the American president's desire to "take possession" of the Danish-controlled Arctic island has escalated from a bilateral dispute into the greatest threat to the Alliance in recent decades and the deepest rift in transatlantic relations since the Suez Crisis.

EU leaders and European delegations, who are due to meet with Trump and American officials in Davos, are tearing up their analytical notes on Ukraine and replacing them with what one senior EU diplomat called "the carrot and the stick" – how Brussels can respond.

"How can one sit down at the negotiating table with this person and discuss their security guarantees for Ukraine? He cannot be trusted, unless one rejects reality," the diplomat added.

EU leaders will meet at an emergency summit later this week, tentatively scheduled for Thursday, following meetings with Trump in Davos.

In preparation for the summit, EU ambassadors discussed the possibility of imposing tariffs on the US amounting to 93 billion euros, which were already developed last year, or using the so-called anti-coercion instrument to restrict American companies' access to the EU single market.

According to officials familiar with the discussions, many participants support retaliatory measures as leverage in negotiations but have urged against resorting to them until diplomatic talks are exhausted.

Developments are expected throughout the week. The meeting of Western national security advisors in Davos, scheduled for January 19, was initially convened to discuss Ukraine, but will now be dedicated to Greenland.

The meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Brussels will also be dedicated to discussing the crisis, the media writes.

Some optimists argue that Trump has made empty threats before, and over the past year, Europe has experienced similar moments to find a way to back down. The Prime Minister of ItalyGiorgia Meloni, who spoke with Trump on January 18, said he was "interested in hearing" a possible compromise.

• January 17, 2026 Trump announced about imposing tariffs against the allies through Greenland, a self-governing island that is part of Denmark, which he wants to acquire.
• Members of the European Parliament ready to stop the process the approval of the trade agreement between the EU and the States due to Trump's intention to impose new tariffs.
• On January 18, eight European states issued a joint statement, which states that tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations.