Trump to speak at White House as Macron warns of shift to ‘world without rules’
French President Emmanuel Macron warns of “a shift towards a world without rules”, as Donald Trump doubles down on his demands to own Greenland
Addressing world leaders in Davos, Macron calls the “endless accumulation of new tariffs” from the US “fundamentally unacceptable”
It comes after Donald Trump announced new tariffs for countries that oppose his Greenland plan
Earlier, Trump said there was “no going back” on his plan, claiming “Greenland is imperative for national and world security”
Meanwhile the European Parliament is set to suspend approval of a trade deal with the US amid the deepening row over Greenland
Coming up: Trump is expected to appear at a White House briefing alongside press secretary Karoline Leavitt at 18:00 GMT
Trump to speak at White House press briefing
The White House has confirmed that President Trump will be joining today’s regular press briefing.
It’s set to take place at 13:00 local time (18:00 GMT).
Leading up to the news briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who normally addresses the media solo, posted a message on social media hinting at the president’s appearance.
“A very special guest will be joining me at the podium today…. TUNE IN!,” she wrote.
In previous weeks, she’s had Vice President JD Vance and other members of Trump’s cabinet.
Which countries have troops in Greenland?
By Tamara Kovacevic
President Trump threatened eight European countries with tariffs on their exports to the US after claiming they had “journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown”.
The countries have sent troops to the island – which Trump wants to acquire – as part of efforts by Denmark to increase its Arctic training there, external, along with Nato allies.
We’ve been speaking to the countries’ militaries over the past two days to find out how many troops they currently have in Greenland.
Danish soldiers were seen disembarking at Nuuk airport, Greenland, on Tuesday
Denmark
The Danish authorities would not confirm how many extra troops they had sent to Greenland but said Denmark was “strengthening its presence” on the island.
Germany
A spokesperson for the German government told BBC Verify a 15-strong team had been sent consisting of “experts from Joint Force Command, the Army, the Air Force and the Navy… made up of specialists in logistics, pilots, sailors, infrastructure and planning”.
Sweden
The Swedish government told BBC Verify that three military officers had been sent: “At present, there are no plans for them to return to Sweden.”
The Netherlands
The Dutch government sent us a press release, external confirming that two naval officers had taken part in reconnaissance and provided operational and logistical expertise. They “have completed their work as planned. They are departing Greenland today (Monday).”
Norway
The Norwegian government told us on Monday the two officers were sent to “assess opportunities for further cooperation with Allies to strengthen security in the Arctic. […] The initial planning work is now complete, and we plan for the personnel to return to Norway this week.”
Finland
The government of Finland also sent two officers, external on “a reconnaissance mission to explore exercise opportunities”.
UK
Defence Secretary John Healey announced, external on 14 January “at the request of the Danish government there is one UK military officer that is part of this reconnaissance group”.
The MOD says it is currently not able to comment on whether that officer is still in Greenland or not.
France
Initial reports suggested 15 soldiers were deployed, external. However, neither the defence ministry nor the president’s office would confirm this number.
Trump says Nato would be in ‘ash heap’ without him ahead of White House appearance
Donald Trump says that no-one – “no single person, or president” – has ever done more for the Nato military alliance than himself.
“If I didn’t come along, there would be no NATO right now!!!” he writes on his Truth Social platform.
“It would have been in the ash heap of History. Sad, but TRUE!!!” he concludes.
As we’ve been telling you, this comes after his threats to slap tariffs on his Nato allies over their objections to his plan to acquire Greenland.
Trump is expected to appear at a White House briefing alongside press secretary Karoline Leavitt at 18:00 GMT, and we’re poised to bring you the latest.
What tariff threats has Trump made to Europe?
We’ve heard a lot today about Trump’s tariff threats toward Europe – but what exactly has he said?
The US president has said he will add a 10% tariff to “any and all goods” imported from eight European countries, from 1 February, if they opposed his proposed takeover of Greenland.
These countries are: The UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland – all of which are Nato members.
This is also the list of countries who have sent troops to Greenland over the past week.
Trump says these tariffs will increase to 25% on 1 June if a deal for the US to purchase the island is not finalised.
In addition to this, Trump has threatened to slap 200% tariffs on French wine and champagne after Macron declined Trump’s invitation to join his Gaza “board of peace”.
Canada’s foreign minister tells BBC this is ‘moment of stress’ for West
We’ve heard from Canada’s prime minister addressing delegates at Davos this afternoon, but I’ve also been speaking to the country’s Foreign Minister Anita Anand about the escalation over Greenland.
She admitted this was a “moment of stress” for the Western alliance, and said she would be travelling to Greenland herself early next month to open a consulate in the territory.
She also defended Canada’s signing of trade deals in China last week as part of what Mark Carney has referred to as “a new world order” in which China could be a stable partner.
“China came to the table with Canada… after many weeks of hard work,” she told me, when I asked if China was now more reliable than Donald Trump’s America.
What is the EU-US trade deal that’s set to be suspended?
Donald Trump and Ursula von der Leyen reached a trade deal in July at his Turnberry golf course in Scotland
As we’ve been reporting, a EU-US trade deal that the European Parliament was due to ratify next week is set to be suspended.
In July 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with President Trump at his golf course in Scotland and came away with tariffs of 15% on everything the EU sells to the US.
This was better than the 30% America had originally threatened.
For its part, Brussels had also prepared a package of tariffs that would come into force if it failed to reach an agreement with the US.
That included tariffs on €93bn (£80bn; $108bn) worth of goods that the US sells to the EU – including everything from livestock to whiskey to aircraft parts. The agreement meant those taxes were suspended while details were worked out.
But if the EU does not sign off on last year’s deal, the tariffs on billions of euros worth of American goods will kick in on 7 February.
That risks a political backlash in the US for Trump from companies that export to Europe.
‘We stand firmly with Greenland and Denmark,’ says Canadian PM
We’ve just heard from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who’s been speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
On the subject of Arctic sovereignty, Carney tells the forum “we stand firmly with Greenland and Denmark and fully support their unique right to determine Greenland’s future”.
He says that Canada’s commitment to Nato’s Article 5 – which states an armed attack against one or more members is considered an attack against all – is “unwavering”.
Carney adds that Canada also “strongly opposes” tariffs over Greenland.
US trade deal to be suspended by European Parliament
Approval of the EU US trade deal that was agreed in July is set to be suspended by the European Parliament, according to sources close to the parliament’s international trade committee.
The suspension is set to be announced in Strasbourg tomorrow afternoon.
An agreement between President Trump and Ursula von der Leyen was made at Trump’s golf course in Scotland in July.
It lowered US tariffs on all its imports from the EU to 15%, which was seen as a good deal at the time given Trump has been threatening 30% import taxes.
However the deal needs approval from the European Parliament, but the international trade committee haven’t finished scrutinising it yet.
On Saturday, within hours of President Trump’s threat of US tariffs over Greenland being issued influential German MEP Manfred Weber said “approval is not possible at this stage”.
While the deal was being finalised the EU suspended its retaliatory tariffs on €93bn worth of goods that it buys from the US.
That suspension ends on 6 February and without either an extension or parliamentary approval of the deal, EU tariffs on US goods will come into force on 7 February.
‘Do not retaliate’ US Treasury boss urges European leaders
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has reiterated his warning to European countries to not retaliate over President Trump’s plan to take over Greenland.
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, he said European leaders should “have an open mind”.
“I tell everyone, sit back. Take a deep breath. Do not retaliate. The president will be here tomorrow, and he will get his message across.”
This echoes the comments we heard from him earlier – here’s a reminder.
Trump would be having meetings, Bessent said.
The “worst thing” countries could do is escalate against the United States, he added.
“This has been in the minds of American presidents for more than 150 years,” he said, referring to the strategic value of Greenland.
‘It’s time to have a backbone’, says California governor
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s message for European leaders is that it’s “time to buck up” in response to tariff threats from Donald Trump.
“It’s time to get serious and stop being complicit. It’s time to stand tall and firm, have a backbone,” he tells reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Newsom, a Democrat, has been vocal in his criticism of Trump and his administration and is seen by some as a candidate for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.
Gold and silver prices rise as stocks fall
In addition to US stock markets falling in response to Trump’s tariff threats, European stock markets are also trading lower for a second day in a row, with the main stock markets in the UK, Germany and France all down by about 1%.
On the currency markets, the US dollar has been falling sharply. The euro rose 0.8% against dollar to $1.1742 while the pound climbed 0.2% to $1.346.
Meanwhile the price of precious metals such as gold and silver – regarded as “safe havens” in times of uncertainty – continued to rise.
The gold price rose above $4,700 an ounce for the first time on Tuesday, hitting a record high of $4,737.10. Silver also hit a new high of $95.488 an ounce.
US stock markets fall after Trump’s tariff threats – but not by much
US stock markets fell as they got their first chance to react to a new tariff threat to Europe from Donald Trump.
Markets were closed yesterday for Martin Luther King Day and nervous markets opened with investors selling shares in the US and Europe while buying the “go to” safe haven of gold.
But share prices are still not far off the all-time highs they set last week.
Markets seem to be assuming that there could be another climb down over its insistence on taking full control of Greenland – as we saw last summer when Trump reversed much of his swingeing “liberation day” tariffs on US imports from around the world.
There is possibly a danger of TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out) complacency as while the tariff spat was a negotiation over the level of tariffs, the Greenland dispute appears to be a more binary situation – either Trump gets what he wants or tariffs come in.
However, some have pointed to another big factor supporting US share prices – namely expectations that a new chair of the Federal reserve to replace Jerome Powell will be more likely to support the president’s declared wish for lower interest rates – which usually give shares a boost.
Starmer ‘will always act in our national interest’, says foreign secretary
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has been taking questions in the House of Commons over Greenland and Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on the UK.
She says the prime minister will “always act in our national interest” which means pursuing Britain’s security, prosperity and values.
“That is what he has done at every stage and that is why he was so firm with the president about our support for the sovereignty of Greenland”, Cooper adds.
Zelensky ‘worried’ Greenland dispute could divert focus from Ukraine war
President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is “worried” that the ongoing Greenland dispute could divert focus away from the war in Ukraine, AFP reports.
“I’m worried about any loss of focus during a full-scale war,” Zelensky told reporters.
He also called for Washington to engage in diplomacy with Europe saying he wants the United States to “hear Europe, to truly hear it in the format of diplomacy”.
He adds: “I think that’s what will happen and I strongly believe there won’t be any major threats.”
European leaders want face time with Trump to assess what he really wants to do
Europe correspondent, reporting from Brussels
In her speech in Davos speech, Ursula von der Leyen reached back in time for examples of how Europe had prospered in the wake of instability trigged by a previous US administration.
She argued that here in 2026 an independent Europe was vital to survive the current seismic geopolitical changes.
But the reason EU leaders have not been more forceful in their response to President Trump’s Greenland tariff threat is that they are still hugely dependent on US military power and need its support for Ukrainian security as well as that of the wider continent.
That is why European leaders want face time with Donald Trump to try to assess what he really wants to do, rather than try to decipher from afar his cluster of latest social media broadsides.
In Davos, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged European nations to “relax” and “let things play out.”
That is easier said than done.
Many in Europe are deeply concerned how Russia and China will benefit from the current row between western partners.
Sure enough, Russia foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has chimed in today, saying he could well understand why the US would want Greenland.
He likened the Danish territory to Crimea – Ukrainian land – whose annexation by Moscow in 2014 was a pre-curser to the full-blown Ukrainian invasion and the devastation and suffering we’ve seen over the past 4 years.
Macron says commitment to national sovereignty ‘not old fashioned’
Macron says that France and Europe are “obviously” attached to national sovereignty and independence.
He says this is “not an old fashioned” way to live, but rather not to “totally forget” lessons from World War Two, and to remain committed to co-operation.
The French president says that it is because of these principles that his nation have decided to join the military exercises in Greenland “without threatening anyone but just supporting an ally in another European country – Denmark”.
He concludes his speech saying this year he will be committed “to try to deliver this global agenda in order to fix global imbalances” through co-operation.
“Here in the epicenter of this continent, we do believe that we need more growth, we need more stability in this world, but we do prefer respect to bullies, we do prefer science to obscurantism, and we do prefer rule of law to brutality,” he says.
‘Endless accumulation of new tariffs are fundamentally unacceptable’ – Macron
Macron turns to protectionism and tariffs.
He says competition from the US for trade agreements that “undermine our export interests, demand maximum concessions and openly aim to weaken and subordinate Europe”, combined with an “endless accumulation of new tariffs” are “fundamentally unacceptable”.
Macron adds that is even more so the case when these tarrifs are “used as leverage against territorial sovereignty”.
He says Europeans are the only ones not protecting their own companies and markets “when the other countries don’t respect the level playing field”.
European competitiveness lags behind the US, he says. We need to address the lack of growth and underinvestment.
For context: A source close to French president Macron said this morning that Donald Trump’s threats to impose 200% on French wine and champagne over France’s intentions to decline the US leader’s invitation to join his “Board of Peace” are “unacceptable”.
We’re reaching a time of ‘instability and imbalance’, says Macron
Macron is wearing sunglasses to conceal an eye problem, he says
French President Emmanuel Macron is now speaking at the Davos World Economic Forum.
“It’s time of peace, stability and predictablilty,” Macron says, which prompts laughter in the room.
He says it’s clear that we are reaching a time of “instability and imbalance” – both in terms of security and from an economy point of view.
“Look at the situation where we are,” he says, noting a “shift towards autocracy”, along with wars around the world in 2024.
He says that “conflict has become normalised”.
“It’s as well a shift towards a world without rules, where international law is trampled underfoot, and where the only law that seems to matter is that of the strongest, and imperial ambitions are resurfacing,” he adds.
US politicians and European leaders due to speak at Davos
We’ve already heard from notable figures at the Davos World Economic Forum, with various others due to speak this afternoon.
Of those is French President Emmanuel Macron, who appeared to feature in screenshotted messages published by the US president earlier today.
Also speaking at Davos will be British Chancellor Rachel Reeves – a day after Keir Starmer’s national address where he called Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on the UK “very serious”.
US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will also be speaking at the forum, as will Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney.
We’ll be across what they say and be ready to bring you the latest.
