United States President Donald Trump has doubled down on his bid to take over Greenland before his appearance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, by slamming key allies.<\/p>\n
Trump shared private text messages from French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO chief Mark Rutte and justified his aggressive posture over the Arctic island with a swipe at the United Kingdom\u2019s decision to cede its last African colony to Mauritius.<\/p>\n
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The US president\u2019s flurry of Greenland-focused social media posts on Tuesday saw him accuse the UK of \u201cGREAT STUPIDITY\u201d for its decision to cede sovereignty over the Indian Ocean archipelago of Chagos<\/a>, which is home to a key British-American military base on Diego Garcia atoll, to Mauritius.<\/p>\n The UK\u2019s move followed Mauritius\u2019s legal victory in a landmark decolonisation case at the International Court of Justice<\/a> seven years ago after it had been strong-armed by the UK into selling the colonial territory for 3 million pounds (today worth $4m) in exchange for its independence in 1968. Under a bilateral deal<\/a> signed in 2025, the UK retains control of the airbase on a long-term lease.<\/p>\n Trump, who had previously appeared to back the UK\u2019s attempt to right what is widely perceived as a colonial wrong under the rules-based international order, lashed out at the UK\u2019s \u201cact of total weakness\u201d, which he said would have been noted by China and Russia.<\/p>\n \u201cThese are International Powers who only recognize STRENGTH, which is why the United States of America, under my leadership, is now, after only one year, respected like never before,\u201d the US president posted. \u201cThe UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired.\u201d<\/p>\n A UK government spokesperson said in a statement: \u201cWe acted because the base on Diego Garcia was under threat after court decisions undermined our position and would have prevented it operating as intended in future.\u201d The bilateral treaty has yet to be ratified by the UK Parliament.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s newly voiced opposition to the transfer of the archipelago will be applauded not only by right-wing opponents of the move in the UK but also by some Chagos islanders<\/a> and their descendants who oppose the transfer of their homeland to Mauritius.<\/p>\n \u2018A dark chapter\u2019<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s fusillade came before his visit to the World Economic Forum on Wednesday as Europe weighs countermeasures after he promised to impose additional tariffs<\/a> on eight European countries \u2013 Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland \u2013 in a bid to pressure them over Greenland.<\/p>\n Under growing pressure from the belligerent Trump, Denmark sent additional troops<\/a> to Greenland to bolster defences of the self-governed Danish territory, with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen insisting on Tuesday that her country would not negotiate on \u201csovereignty, identity, borders and democracy\u201d.<\/p>\n Frederiksen told the Danish Parliament that Trump\u2019s threats to take over Greenland were a \u201cdark chapter\u201d, but vowed that Europe would stand its ground in the face of the US President\u2019s threats to slap tariffs on European countries opposing his territorial ambitions.<\/p>\n \u201cAs Europe, if anyone starts a trade war against us, which I really cannot recommend, we must of course respond. We are compelled to do so,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Keeping up the push, Trump posted a screenshot of a message from Macron, who offered to set up a Group of Seven meeting in Paris on Thursday afternoon to discuss disagreements over Greenland with the participation of Ukraine, Denmark, Syria and Russia on the sidelines.<\/p>\n \u201cMy friend, we are completely aligned on Syria. We can do great things in Iran. I don\u2019t understand what you are doing in Greenland,\u201d Macron said in his message, which was confirmed as authentic by a source close to Macron on Tuesday, according to the Reuters news agency.<\/p>\n Upping the ante, Trump threatened to hit French wine and champagne with 200 percent tariffs in an apparent bid to cajole a reluctant Macron<\/a> into joining his \u201cboard of peace\u201d initiative, which is being rolled out in Gaza with a view to expanding its remit<\/a> to other conflicts, raising questions over the future role of the United Nations.<\/p>\n A source close to Macron said the French president intended to decline the invitation to join.<\/p>\n When asked about Macron\u2019s stance on Monday,\u00a0Trump\u00a0replied: \u201cDid he say that? Well, nobody wants him because he will be out of office very soon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll put a 200 percent tariff on his wines and champagnes, and he\u2019ll join, but he doesn\u2019t have to join,\u201d Trump was quoted by the news agency AFP as saying.<\/p>\n A source close to Macron, who must step down as president in 2027 because of term limits, told AFP on Tuesday that Trump\u2019s threats to impose the tariffs were \u201cunacceptable\u201d and \u201cineffective\u201d.<\/p>\n Setting the scene for Davos, Trump also reported on social media that he had \u201ca very good telephone call\u201d with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and he had agreed to a meeting on Greenland.<\/p>\n \u201cAs I expressed to everyone, very plainly, Greenland is imperative for National and World Security. There can be no going back \u2013 On that, everyone agrees!\u201d he posted.<\/p>\n Later on Tuesday, Trump went on to post a screenshot of what he said was a text message from Rutte, who last year referred to the US president as \u201cdaddy\u201d. The screenshot made a flattering offer to \u201chighlight your work\u201d in Syria, Gaza and Ukraine while highlighting NATO\u2019s commitment to \u201cfinding a way forward on Greenland\u201d.<\/p>\n \u2018We have to have it\u2019<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s posts on Tuesday also included a doctored image of him planting the US flag next to a sign reading \u201cGreenland, US Territory, Est. 2026\u201d.<\/p>\n Asked by reporters on Monday what he planned to say to European leaders in\u00a0Davos\u00a0about his Greenland plan, Trump said: \u201cI don\u2019t think they\u2019re going to push back too much. Look, we have to have it.\u201d<\/p>\n