And if that wasn’t enough, now Greenland’s prime minister also said that thank you very much, but Danish autonomous territory wanted to stake out its own future and did not want to become American.
“We are Greenlanders. We don’t want to be Americans. We don’t want to be Danish either. Greenland’s future will be decided by Greenland,” prime minister Múte B. Egede told a press conference.
Key events
Jakub Krupa
… and just like that, it’s a wrap from me, Jakub Krupa.
Three things to take away from today’s blog:
Greenland’s (see 16:40) and Denmark’s (see 16:18) leaders dismissed Donald Trump’s suggestions that the US could try to take over control over the “wonderful” Danish autonomous territory (see 9:10 and see 11:06). Trump’s other plans to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organization also faced public criticism (see 12:43), although not from the UK (see 15:56).
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a strongly worded speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, urging Europe to stop looking to the US for protection and establish itself as a global superpower or risk “a world that would not be comfortable or beneficial to all Europeans” (see 15:02).
He also said that while he agreed, in principle, with Trump’s ambition to end the war this year, it would have to be a “just” and lasting agreement.
He also received public backing from other European leaders, including European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen (see 11:34 and 12:28) and German chancellor Olaf Scholz (see 14:38).
Slovak government of Robert Fico avoided a confidence vote after opposition parties withdrew their motion (see 17:04), but said they would table it again in the near future amid a deepening political crisis in the country (see 12:58).
And if you are still craving more European politics this afternoon, you can tune into this UK parliamentary hearing looking into the potential reset in EU-UK relations, happening now.
If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com. I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa.
See you again tomorrow!
Slovak opposition parties withdrew their motion to hold a confidence vote on Robert Fico’s government after his demand for parliament to sit in private.
The opposition parties had opposed Fico’s motion to make the session secret on grounds he was sharing any classified information.
They said they would try to call another vote in the near future, Reuters reports.
We reported earlier what Ukraine’s Zelenskyy makes of Donald Trump’s plans for peace (see 15:50), so now read about what ordinary Ukrainians make of the new US president.
The Guardian’s Luke Harding spoke with some Kyiv residents earlier today, and here is his report.
And if that wasn’t enough, now Greenland’s prime minister also said that thank you very much, but Danish autonomous territory wanted to stake out its own future and did not want to become American.
“We are Greenlanders. We don’t want to be Americans. We don’t want to be Danish either. Greenland’s future will be decided by Greenland,” prime minister Múte B. Egede told a press conference.
Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen dismissed Donald Trump’s suggestions that the US could try to take over control over Greenland.
“Of course we can’t have a world order where countries, if they’re big enough, no matter what they’re called, can just help themselves to what they want,” he said.
Løkke Rasmussen said he was particularly concerned about the broader “rhetoric” of the new president, who spoke about expanding the US territory.
Danish media reported that a series of emergency talks with key politicians and business leaders were called throughout the day on Tuesday as the country’s government was considering its response to Trump’s comments on “wonderful” Greenland, which we reported in full this morning.
There is a perhaps slightly unexpected European angle to Trump’s plans on deporting undocumented immigrants from the US (see our live US blog for the latest).
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk was asked earlier today about the impact this policy could have on some Polish citizens who live in the US.
Various estimates suggest there are up to 10 million Americans with Polish roots, making it the largest Polish diaspora globally. It is not known how many of them could have irregular migration status, with some suggestions published by the Gazeta Wyborcza daily the number could be in tens of thousands.
“Every Polish man and every Polish woman will be warmly welcomed here at home,” Tusk told reporters in Warsaw, adding that in Poland “everyone can find their own America”.
The Polish ministry of foreign affairs also published a related statement, in both Polish and English, urging Poles abroad to consider making it their “New Year’s resolution” to return to the country.
“Unless they have renounced their Polish citizenship, all Poles are entitled to a Polish passport, and to repatriate themselves and settle freely in Poland,” it said.
Peter Walker
In stark contrast to some European reactions, the UK has refused to directly criticise Donald Trump for pulling the US out of the Paris climate agreement and the World Health Organisation, in an early indication of the cautious approach to the new administration being taken by Keir Starmer’s government.
Asked about the Paris decision, Starmer’s official spokesperson – who by UK political tradition is not named in the media – said was “not going to give a running commentary on every executive order or decision made by President Trump and his administration”. When asked about the WHO he gave the same response.
Pressed on the subject, the spokesperson said the UK’s position on both the Paris deal and WHO had not changed, and that it was a strong supporter of both.
Asked if the reluctance to criticise Trump was due to fear of him becoming angry, he denied this.
In the Q&A after his speech, Zelenskyy was asked for his view on Ukraine’s prospects in the third year of war with Russia and whether he believed the new US president Donald Trump could try to bring the conflict to a negotiated end.
The Ukrainian president insisted that he and his team had “good relations” with Trump, but also delicately raised some concerns about who is getting the president’s ear.
We now live in times [that call] for pragmatism. It is very important for us that [when there are] some more excessive [radical] voices around President Trump, delivering disinformation or pro-Russian messages, … that Europe speaks loudly so there are more voices getting to Trump and he clearly understands the details and potential future risks.
He added that, in principle, he agreed with Trump’s stated intention of ending the war this year.
I told him, we are your partner, this war is in our territory, … we understand how painful it is. We want to end the war this year.
But he said any peace deal would have to be “just,” even if it takes longer to negotiate it, so that it is lasting so “Ukrainians [will] be able to come back home, to live in security, to work.”
It seems to be that is the most important thing, and we will be doing everything to achieve this.
Turning to economy, Zelenskyy said Europe needs to change its approach to regulating digital services and innovation or risks falling behind the US and China.
In a particularly cutting remark, he said Europe “deserves to be more than just a bystander, with its leaders reduced to hosting on X after an agreement has already been made.”
We need a completely new, bolder approach to tech companies and technological development. If we lose time, Europe will lose this century, and now Europe is falling behind in the development of artificial intelligence.
Already TikTok’s algorithms are more powerful than some governments, and the fate of small countries depends more on the owners of tech companies than their laws.
Ouch.
In his comments about how Europe should change its ways to establish itself as a global power, Zelenskyy very pointedly called out Slovakia’s prime minister Robert Fico for seeking Russian gas deliveries via Turkey, and not alternative routes such as imports from the US, while still hoping to benefit from the “US security umbrella.”
The tensions between the pair spiralled over the last few weeks since Fico’s controversial visit to Moscow and focused on Ukraine’s decision to stop transit of Russian gas through its territory. At one point, the Slovak leader even threatened to oppose further EU support for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy took aim at Fico in his comments saying further:
Things are on our side. President Trump is going to export more energy, but Europe needs to step up and do more long-term work to secure real energy independence.
[But] you cannot keep buying gas from Moscow while also expecting security guarantees and help … from Americans. That is just wrong.
Just a reminder that his comments come just as the Slovak parliament is preparing to hold a confidence vote for Fico’s government, called by opposition parties (see 12:58). It is not unreasonable to expect that his words will soon be discussed in Bratislava.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is now speaking in Davos, and he is asking the audience to turn the question of “what will Trump do” around and consider what Europe should do to establish itself as a global player instead.
In a strongly worded and sobering wake up call addressed to European leaders, Zelenskyy said:
Most of the world is now thinking: What is going to happen to our relationship with America, what will happen to alliances, to trade? How does President Trump want to end war? … But no one is asking these kind of questions about Europe.
When we in Europe look at the US as our ally, it is clear they are an indispensable ally. In times of war, everyone worries will the US to stay with them. … But does anyone in the US worry that Europe might abandon them one day or might stop being their ally? The answer is no.
…
Will President Trump even notice Europe? Does he see Nato as necessary, and will he respect EU institutions?
…
Europe cannot afford to be the second or third in line for their allies. If that happens, the world will start moving without Europe and that is a world that would not be comfortable or beneficial to all Europeans.
…
Europe must establish itself as a strong, global player, as an indispensable player. Let’s not forget there is no ocean separating European countries from Russia and European leaders should remember these battles involving North Korean soldiers are now happening in places geographically closer to Davos than Pyongyang.
…
Right now, it is not clear whether Europe will even have a seat when the war against our country ends. And we see how much influence China has on Russia.
We are deeply grateful to Europe for all the support … but will President Trump listen to Europe, or will he negotiate with Russia, China, without Europe?
Europe needs to learn how to fully take care of itself, so the world cannot afford to ignore it.
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