Europe’s moment of truth over Greenland looms, as leaders ditch appeasement of Trump

<p>From the ‘big bazooka’ to a world cup boycott, Europe has powerful weapons beyond dialogue. An emergency EU summit could be a turning point</p><p><strong>•</strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/22/this-is-europe-sign-up-guardian-email-updates"><strong> Don’t get This Is Europe delivered to your inbox? Sign up here</strong></a></p><p>“I do not understand what you are doing on Greenland,” wrote Emmanuel Macron in a <a href="https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2026/01/20/trump-leaks-macron-s-private-text-i-do-not-understand-what-you-are-doing-on-greenland_6749612_4.html">private message</a> to Donald Trump this week. Trump posted the text on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, seemingly to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/20/trump-macron-private-message-intimidation">humiliate the French president</a>. But Macron might have been speaking for millions of bewildered European citizens.</p><p>As Russia’s war physically tears into Ukraine, Trump’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/20/trump-tariffs-over-greenland-are-an-error-says-ursula-von-der-leyen">phoney war on Europe over Greenland</a> risks <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/18/western-alliance-hangs-in-balance-as-europe-stiffens-itself-against-trumps-threats">breaking apart</a> the western defence alliance Nato.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/21/the-moment-of-truth-over-greenland-as-leaders-ditch-appeasement-of-trump">Continue reading...</a>