EU leaders worry about handling ‘bully’ Trump despite Greenland U-turn

BRUSSELS - EU leaders will rethink ties with the US at an emergency summit on Jan 22 after Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs and even military action to acquire Greenland badly shook confidence in the transatlantic relationship, diplomats said.

Mr Trump abruptly

stepped back on Jan 21 from his threat of tariffs

on eight European nations and ruled out using force to take Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, suggesting a deal was in sight.

EU governments remain wary of another change of mind by a mercurial president increasingly seen as a bully whom Europe will have to stand up to. They are focused on coming up with a longer-term plan on how to deal with the US under this administration and possibly its successors too.

“Trump crossed the Rubicon. He might do it again. There is no going back to what it was. And leaders will discuss it,” one EU diplomat said, adding that the bloc needed to move away from its heavy reliance on the US in many areas.

“We need to try to keep him (Mr Trump) close while working on becoming more independent from the US It is a process, probably a long one.”

The EU leaders’ summit begins at 7pm (2am on Jan 23 in singapore).

After decades of relying on Washington for defence within the NATO alliance, the bloc lacks the needed intelligence, transport, missile defence and production capabilities to defend itself against a possible Russian attack.

This gives the US substantial leverage.

The US is also Europe’s biggest trading partner, making the EU vulnerable to Mr Trump’s policies of imposing tariffs to reduce Washington’s trade deficit in goods, and, as in the case of Greenland, to achieve other goals.

How to deal with ‘bully’

“We need to discuss where the red lines are, how we deal with this bully across the Atlantic, where our strengths are,” a second EU diplomat said.

“Trump says no tariffs today, but does that mean also no tariffs tomorrow, or will he again quickly change his mind? We need to discuss what to do then,” the second diplomat said.

The EU had been ready to deploy a package of retaliatory tariffs on €93 billion (S$140 billion) of US imports and anti-coercive measures if Mr Trump had gone ahead with his own tariffs that were to kick in on Feb 1, officials said.

In protest over US pressure to acquire Greenland, the European Parliament on Jan 21 put on hold its work on ratifying the US-EU trade deal agreed in mid-2025.

While the threat of US action was gone, the Parliament still needed clarity on US plans for Greenland before returning to the trade agreement, senior parliamentarian Bernd Lange said.

Mr Trump said on Jan 21 he had reached a framework deal on Greenland with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and on Jan 22 said details were being worked out but the US would get “total access” at no cost.  

“No one knows what this so-called solution is,” German Social Democrat Lange, who chairs the European Parliament’s trade committee, told Reuters.

“We would need a clear yes from Denmark and Greenland. It cannot just be an agreement between two individuals. This means we will be making an assessment of whether there is a threat to EU sovereignty,” he added, saying however that potential EU counter-measures should be put on hold.

A third European diplomat also said the Greenland deal needed explaining, adding: “We are a bit fed up with all the bullying. And we need to act on a few things: more resiliency, unity, get our things together on internal market, competitiveness. And no more accepting tariff bullying.”

Mr Rutte told Reuters on Jan 22 that under the framework deal with Mr Trump, Western allies would step up their Arctic presence but did not flesh that out. He also said talks would continue between Denmark, Greenland and the US.

“Despite all the frustration and anger of recent months, let us not be too quick to write off the transatlantic partnership,” said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. REUTERS