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22-01-2026
WASHINGTON: 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.
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’s decision to cede its last African colony to Mauritius.
The US president’s flurry of Greenland-focused social media posts on Tuesday saw him accuse the UK of “GREAT STUPIDITY” for its decision to cede sovereignty over the Indian Ocean archipelago of Chagos, which is home to a key British-American military base on Diego Garcia atoll, to Mauritius.
The UK’s move followed Mauritius’s legal victory in a landmark decolonization case at the International Court of Justice 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 signed in 2025, the UK retains control of the airbase on a long-term lease.
Trump, who had previously appeared to back the UK’s attempt to right what is widely perceived as a colonial wrong under the rules-based international order, lashed out at the UK’s “act of total weakness”, which he said would have been noted by China and Russia.
“These 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,” the US president posted. “The 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.”
A UK government spokesperson said in a statement: “We 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.” The bilateral treaty has yet to be ratified by the UK Parliament.
Trump’s 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 and their descendants who oppose the transfer of their homeland to Mauritius.
Trump’s fusillade came before his visit to the World Economic Forum on Wednesday as Europe weighs countermeasures after he promised to impose additional tariffs on eight European countries, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland in a bid to pressure them over Greenland.
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.
“My friend, we are completely aligned on Syria. We can do great things in Iran. I don’t understand what you are doing in Greenland,” Macron said in his message, which was confirmed as authentic by a source close to Macron on Tuesday, according to media.
Upping the ante, Trump threatened to hit French wine and champagne with 200 percent tariffs in an apparent bid to cajole a reluctant Macron into joining his “board of peace” initiative, which is being rolled out in Gaza with a view to expanding its remit to other conflicts, raising questions over the future role of the United Nations.
A source close to Macron said the French president intended to decline the invitation to join. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
