Macron: US seeks to weaken Europe

Tuesday, 20 January 2026 —

French President Emmanuel Macron has said at the World Economic Forum in Davos that the United States "seeks to weaken Europe" and urged Europeans "not to accept the law of the strongest".

As reported by BMFTV and Le Monde, Macron accused Washington of attempting to weaken Europe through threats by US President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on countries supporting Greenland and Denmark.

In his speech, the French leader warned against entering a world governed by the "law of the strongest" and urged Europe "not to accept it passively".

"Europe must defend multilateralism, which serves our interests and the interests of all those who refuse to submit to brute force," Macron said.

Macron called on Europeans to make joint decisions and engage in dialogue. As an example, he mentioned the European mission to Greenland in response to Trump's threats, as well as discussions within the G7 framework.

"Europe has very powerful tools, and we must use them when we are not respected and when the rules of the game are not observed," he added, referring to the measures the EU is considering to counter US tariffs.

Trump previously posted screenshots showing excerpts of correspondence with his French counterpart, in which Macron said he does not "understand what" Trump is doing on Greenland.

The day before, Trump advised Europe to focus on the Russo-Ukrainian war instead of Greenland.

On 17 January, Trump announced that from 1 February, Washington will impose tariffs on a number of countries that oppose his stance on Greenland.

Read more: The Greenland crisis that hits Ukraine: how Trump's clash with Europe could affect Ukraine's armed forces

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