Several European leaders spoke out at the end of this Wednesday, the 21st, about Donald Trump’s decision to back away from European tariffs, as well as reports that there is a deal in the works concerning Greenland.
The Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, welcomed, on X, the announcement by the American president to suspend the imposition of tariffs, stating that Italy “has always defended, it is essential to continue promoting dialogue among allied nations.”
Meanwhile, Denmark’s Foreign Minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, welcomed the announcement and noted that the day ended better than it began. “It’s a good sign that Trump will not use force,” he told reporters, but warned that the U.S. president has “an ambition that we cannot accommodate.”
“It’s good that Trump has also backed down from tariffs against us, who support Denmark and Greenland. The demands for border changes received deserved and severe criticisms. This is why we reiterate that we will not be bullied. It seems that our joint work with the allies has borne fruit,” wrote on X the Swedish Foreign Minister, Maria Stenergard.
The German Deputy Chancellor, Lars Klingbeil, cautiously noted that it is still very early to conclude that the destabilizing dispute between the U.S. and the European Union has ended. “After the ups and downs of the last days, we must now wait to see which substantive agreements will be reached between Mark Rutte and Trump,” Klingbeil told the German broadcaster ZDF.
Similarly, a senior EU official told Politico that “it would be cynical to call this fantastic news.”
The Netherlands’ Prime Minister, Dick Schoof, also reacted to the announcements: “it’s positive that we are now on the path to de-escalation.” In a post on X, Schoof said it is important that theU.S., Canada and Europe continue to work together within NATO to strengthen security in the Arctic region and combat the threats from Russia and China.
The Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, was content to say that the issue of the U.S. stance on Greenland’s ownership is not a concern for Moscow.
