Tensions flare between the US and Europe as Donald Trump shares private messages from French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO’s Mark Rutte. Macron offered to host a surprise G7-style summit in Paris, suggesting Russia, Ukraine, Denmark, and Syria join on the sidelines. Trump posted screenshots of the messages on Truth Social, though his own replies were not visible.
00:00French President Emmanuel Macron has sent what he called a private message to US President Donald
00:16Trump, offering to host a surprise G7-style meeting in Paris. The message, later shared
00:23publicly by Trump, proposed a summit on January 22nd where Russia could be invited on the sidelines,
00:28alongside Ukraine and Denmark. Macron's outreach comes amid rising tensions following Trump's
00:44threat to impose new tariffs on European countries over his push to acquire Greenland. In the message,
00:50Macron addressed Trump as my friend, stressing alignment on Syria and suggesting cooperation
00:56on Iran despite disagreements elsewhere. Macron told Trump he did not understand what the US
01:02President was doing on Greenland, calling the issue a source of growing friction. The French
01:08President proposed inviting Ukrainians, Danes, Syrians, and Russians to parallel discussions
01:13around the G7 meeting. He also extended a personal invitation for Trump to have dinner with him in
01:19Paris before returning to Washington. Moreover, Trump also shared a screenshot of a message from NATO
01:25Secretary-General Mark Root, praising Trump and saying he was committed to finding a path forward
01:30on Greenland. Trump posted screenshots of the exchange on his Truth Social platform, though his own replies
01:37were not visible in the shared images. The post came as European leaders prepared emergency talks in
01:43Brussels following Trump's renewed tariff threats. Those threats target eight European countries and are framed
01:49by Trump as leverage over the European Union's stance on Greenland.
01:54First, let me recall the President's statement where she said,
01:58We stand firm in our commitment to uphold the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Greenland and the
02:05Kingdom of Denmark. We will always protect our strategic economic and security interests. We will face these
02:13challenges to our European solidarity with steadiness and resolve." Now let me emphasize that intensive
02:22consultations are ongoing among EU leaders. President Koshta has indicated the likelihood of an extraordinary
02:29European Council this week to tackle this very subject. It's clear from the consultations among EU leaders,
02:38including President von der Leyen, that the priority here is to engage, not escalate, and avoid the imposition of tariffs.
02:48Why? Because this will ultimately harm consumers and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. The EU has consistently
02:56underlined its shared transatlantic interest in peace and security in the Arctic, including through NATO. In response to your
03:06questions, Jorge, should the threatened tariffs be imposed? The European Union has tools at its disposal and is prepared to respond.
03:17Because we will do everything necessary to protect EU economic interests. I mean, I think it was very clear from the
03:26President's posts on social media yesterday that the objective here is to avoid an escalation, find a solution that works, and ultimately to
03:37avoid the imposition of these tariffs, which serve no good and will ultimately only hit consumers, in particular American consumers. So we're looking to avoid that outcome.
03:48Avoid that outcome. A meeting of EU ambassadors took place yesterday. Contact is ongoing at the highest levels, of course, to understand the parameters of this problem, to put together a coordinated EU response.
04:03And I think that's the key point here. If I was to summarize what the Commission wants to achieve here, we want to make sure that the maximum amount of EU unity and solidarity is maintained, so that we are in the strongest possible position to achieve the outcomes I have mentioned.
04:20Relations between Trump and Macron have deteriorated sharply in recent days, reaching a new low earlier this week.
04:27Trump threatened to impose a 200% tariff on French wine and champagne after France declined to join his Board of Peace.
04:35When asked about Macron's refusal, Trump said the French leader would soon be out of office and suggested he was unwanted.
04:44Trump claimed the tariff threat would force Macron to comply, though he added the French President did not have to join.
04:50Macron has publicly denounced the tariff threats as unacceptable, warning that they would escalate economic and diplomatic tensions.
04:57Notably, a video of Macron calling Trump to share news of Zelensky accepting a 30-day ceasefire went viral last year, capturing Trump's excited reaction as he joked about a Nobel Prize.
05:09Trump's remarks about Greenland have alarmed European leaders, who view them as a challenge to sovereignty norms.
05:16How much money are you thinking of giving people in Greenland to get them on board with a possible U.S.
05:23I'm not talking about money for Greenland yet.
05:25I might talk about that.
05:27But right now, we are going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not.
05:32Because if we don't do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland.
05:37And we're not going to have Russia or China as a neighbor.
05:40Okay?
05:41I would like to make a deal, you know, the easy way.
05:48But if we don't do it the easy way, we're going to do it the hard way.
05:51And I'm a man — and by the way, I'm a fan of Denmark, too, I have to tell you.
05:59And, you know, they've been very nice to me.
06:01I'm a big fan.
06:02But, you know, the fact that they had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn't mean that they own the land.
06:08I'm sure we had lots of boats go there also.
06:11But we need that because if you take a look outside of Greenland right now, there are Russian destroyers.
06:18There are Chinese destroyers and bigger.
06:21There are Russian submarines all over the place.
06:23We're not going to have Russia or China occupy Greenland.
06:27And that's what they're going to do if we don't.
06:29So we're going to be doing something with Greenland either the nice way or the more difficult way.
06:34Please.
06:38Go ahead, ma'am.
06:39On Greenland, Mr. President, why is it so important to you to own it when you have a military presence there,
06:44which you could expand to affect security?
06:47Because when we own it, we defend it.
06:49You don't defend leases the same way.
06:51You have to own it.
06:52And, you know, with a nation, look at what happened with Obama with that horrible deal they made with Iran.
06:59It was a short-term deal.
07:01It was like a nine-year deal.
07:03Countries can't make nine-year deals or even hundred-year deals.
07:06Countries have to have ownership.
07:08And you defend ownership, you don't defend leases.
07:11And we'll have to defend Greenland.
07:13If we don't do it, China or Russia will.
07:16It's not going to happen.
07:17We are not going to have — and I like China.
07:19I like Russia.
07:20I love the people of China.
07:22I love the people of Russia.
07:24I get along very well with President Putin, but I'm very disappointed in him.
07:28I get along very well with President Xi.
07:30I'm going to go over to China in April.
07:32But I don't want them as a neighbor in Greenland.
07:35Not going to happen.
07:36And by the way, and NATO's got to understand that.
07:40I'm all for NATO.
07:41I saved NATO.
07:42If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have a NATO right now.
07:45But we're not going to allow Russia or China to occupy Greenland.
07:49And that's what's going to happen if we don't.
07:51Denmark has firmly rejected any discussion of selling Greenland, calling it non-negotiable.
07:57I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you for your incredible support and kindness.
08:02Words cannot fully convey just how much your help has meant to me.
08:06Please accept my heartfelt thanks for everything you have done, as your generosity has made a significant difference.
08:12I am truly overwhelmed by the warmth and care you have shown.
08:15Thank you very much for your time.
08:18The current situation is extraordinarily grave and deeply concerning.
08:23And the complex geopolitical interests involved have put an overwhelming amount of immense pressure on our country and its people.
08:30Yes, and my answer to this will not be very long.
08:33We remain united and stand firmly together in this difficult situation.
08:37Right now, we are in the midst of a major geopolitical crisis.
08:41Greenland is not for sale and will never be owned by the USA.
08:45Greenland will not be governed by the USA.
08:48Greenland will not be a part of the United States of America.
08:52We choose the Greenland we know today, which is an integrated part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
08:58Now, we are currently confronting a strategic geopolitical crisis.
09:03And if we have to choose between the USA and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark.
09:08We choose NATO.
09:09We choose the Kingdom of Denmark.
09:11We choose the European Union.
09:13This is certainly not the time for internal political discussions and domestic division.
09:19This is the time to stand united and firm together and build on the community we know and the one we want.
09:26That's why we go into the room together.
09:29We leave together.
09:30And we engage in dialogue with the American people together.
09:33Greenland, as part of the Kingdom of Denmark, is a member of NATO.
09:38We have an immense amount of unwavering confidence in the NATO alliance.
09:42And we know that NATO fully supports and stands behind us in this situation.
09:47But the support from Europe and Denmark is also vital.
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