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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addresses the EU Parliament in Strasbourg, France, January 21, 2026
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REUTERS/Yves Herman
The European Union is ready to strike back at Donald Trump over his tariff threats as he seeks to take Greenland, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, toughening her rhetoric against the US president.
“We are at a crossroads,” said von der Leyen, the top EU executive, speaking before the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday. “Europe prefers dialog and solutions — but we are fully prepared to act, if necessary, with unity, urgency and determination.”
Pointedly, von der Leyen also argued that there was no returning to the world order that Europe spent decades building with US cooperation.
“The shift in the international order is not only seismic — but it is permanent,” she said. “We now live in a world defined by raw power.”
“While many of us may not like it,” she added, “we must deal with the world as it is now.”
Von der Leyen’s speech indicated a shift toward a more forceful approach to Trump’s persistent menacing of Europe. It comes as the EU chief faces pressure to push back harder against Trump’s global aggression.
Trump is expected to address the World Economic Forum in Davos later on Wednesday, with EU capitals looking for any signal about whether he intends to deescalate his pledge to slap fresh tariffs on Europe.
Trump on Saturday announced a 10% tariff on goods from eight European countries beginning Feb. 1, and rising to 25% in June, unless he is allowed to buy Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally and EU member. EU leaders will hold an emergency meeting in Brussels on Thursday to explore potential retaliatory measures.
Von der Leyen said that the additional tariffs would be “simply wrong,” given the EU and the US shared the same strategic assessment on Arctic security.
“If we are now plunging into a dangerous downward spiral between allies, this would only embolden the very adversaries we are both so committed to keeping out of our strategic landscape,” she added, echoing a speech she gave Tuesday to the Davos audience.
Already, the European Parliament is set to delay a vote on the ratification of a large EU-US trade deal over the Greenland crisis.
Von der Leyen reiterated that the bloc is also preparing to back Greenland with a “massive European investment surge in the semi-autonomous island, to support the local economy and infrastructure.”
In addition, she said, the EU will “strengthen our security arrangements” with the UK, Canada, Norway and Iceland, and will work on a new security strategy in the coming months.
“I believe Europe itself needs to reassess its wider security strategy,” she said. “The world has changed so fast, and Europe now has to change with it.”
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
Published on January 21, 2026
