«Ο πρόεδρος Τραμπ προσπαθεί να αντικαταστήσει τον ΟΗΕ», λέει ο Βέλγος ΥΠΕΞ
Ο πρόεδρος των ΗΠΑ Ντόναλντ Τραμπ προσπαθεί να υποκαταστήσει τον ΟΗΕ με το υποτιθέμενο μεταβατικό «Συμβούλιο Ειρήνης» του, δήλωσε στο Euronews ο Μαξίμ Πρεβό.
00:30The Economic Forum is taking place this year as the United States ramping up Russian rhetoric regarding possibly Washington taking control over Greenland and all the threats to Denmark.
00:40Donald Trump is in town here in Dallas, expected also to meet the European leaders.
00:45What's Belgium's strategy when it comes to protecting Greenland and supporting Denmark?
00:49We absolutely need to be united on this issue.
00:53Frankly speaking, the attitude of the U.S. is incomprehensible and unnecessarily hostile.
01:01If they have concerns because maybe they have identified some threats in the region of the Arctic,
01:09Okay, we are able to understand that and maybe we will discuss together in order to address those fears, those threats.
01:21And it already exists today, a partnership, an agreement between the U.S. and Denmark,
01:28in order to allow the U.S. to deploy armed forces on Greenland if necessary.
01:35They only have one military basis today.
01:38It is possible to have more in the future according to the current agreement.
01:43So it's not necessary to take on an aggressive manner, an hostile one, any square kilometers of Greenland.
01:52It is really a red line for the European countries.
01:56But how do you explain in this case why the United States and the U.S. administration
02:00is not listening to this argument coming from Europe, from the European allies, NATO allies?
02:05There is no rational explanation, frankly speaking.
02:08It is possible to address together those potential threats in the Arctic region.
02:15So let's do it.
02:16But having some blackmail, some threats against allies within the NATO family, this is totally unacceptable.
02:28So we will take the opportunity of the Davos meeting in order to share this message.
02:37The King of the Belgians and my Prime Minister will have a meeting with President Trump.
02:42And I hope that it will be possible in the coming days and weeks to go back to a more reasonable way of thinking and acting.
02:53I think it's crucial.
02:55It's not only a crisis.
02:56It is really a turning point.
02:58And when you face a turning point, it demands action and certainly not hesitation.
03:05And the threats, the additional ones related to some European countries because they've decided to send some soldiers to Greenland,
03:16it's also something totally unacceptable.
03:19And it is crazy to listen to the U.S. explaining that the fact that some European countries have sent soldiers to Greenland is a kind of anti-American act.
03:36It is the opposite.
03:37It is the manner to demonstrate that we intend to take into account on a better manner than in the past the different fears expressed by the U.S.
03:50and that the NATO allies and especially the European countries have really the intention to take into account those fears
04:00and to secure in a better way the Arctic region in the future.
04:05Donald Trump started making the statements regarding Greenland on his first term since 2019.
04:10And the European Union really engaged in the diplomatic dialogue ever since.
04:14It's why we absolutely need to take into account this moment.
04:21And we cannot in Europe, we can no longer depend blindly on the security provided by the U.S.
04:32We have a date with ourselves and we absolutely need to develop our autonomic strategy on a military aspect, energetic aspect, technological ones also.
04:46Otherwise, we will have a week in Europe.
04:51And Europe is more than a political united institution.
04:59It is also a big force with 450 millions of people, with wealthy countries.
05:09We are not only one of the largest economic markets in the world.
05:13We also have the possibility to be a geopolitical power, but it means that we absolutely need to act on a united manner.
05:24And it is maybe the biggest challenge we are currently facing within the EU.
05:29The political unity.
05:30Of course, of course.
05:32And we need to react and also to prepare some potential countermeasures in order to send a clear message to the United States.
05:42It is not acceptable the way they are treated their allies.
05:45So, we will, of course, use diplomacy, diplomacy in action, in order to desescalate the current tensions we have.
05:59And I hope it will be possible to find a reasonable solution in the coming weeks.
06:04Otherwise, we will be forced to use also the coercion instrument, for instance.
06:11Is Europe ready to go for that?
06:12Is Europe ready to go this far?
06:14I think that the current situation needs to act as a call to action for Europe.
06:21So, if we want to avoid to be wicked, we absolutely need to demonstrate our capability to response on a proportionate,
06:31significative and firm manner.
06:34Otherwise, we will lose our credibility and our respectability.
06:39And it is so crucial for Europe in order to act as a geopolitical power and an economical market,
06:47a reliable one that we absolutely need to answer it firmly to the U.S.
06:54That's crystal clear.
06:55How is Belgium willing to treat the current situation?
06:59In the past, Belgium was among the countries with some of the lowest defense spendings, for example.
07:04Is this situation pushing the country to make rapid changes into that?
07:10Of course, of course.
07:11When you are on the crossroads, you have two choices.
07:18One, you follow the path to maybe a problem and not good issue and outcomes.
07:27Or you lead another way, the way of the reforms.
07:32And it is really the way that Belgium has decided to follow.
07:36So, we have increased our spendings for military equipment.
07:41It was time.
07:42Frankly speaking, we were one of the, let's say, the bad pupils in the classroom.
07:49So, no, we have achieved last year the 2% GDP.
07:53And we will continue to increase our spendings for the defense sector.
07:58And we absolutely need to be at the rendezvous of our own responsibility.
08:05You know, defending, for instance, the international law,
08:09it's crucial for medium-sized countries like Belgium.
08:14Not out of naïveté, but because that's the only way we can defend ourselves,
08:22our population, our prosperity against any kind of hostile temptation coming from abroad.
08:30So, it's why it's so crucial for the European countries to defend the international law
08:34and the rules-based order.
08:36And according to this, we consider that the United Nations remains the best,
08:45let's say, reliable framework and the best reliable context
08:52for promoting multilateralism discussions for peace and prosperity
08:57and certainly not an initiative such as the Board of Peace, for instance.
09:02Board of Peace is another topic that is going to be discussed here at Davos
09:06with Donald Trump meeting the European leaders.
09:08What's the Belgian position on that?
09:10We have not been invited to be part of this board.
09:14And frankly speaking, when we have a look on the status,
09:19it is totally unacceptable.
09:21We have the opinion that through this initiative,
09:26President Trump is trying to replace the United Nations system
09:31and to create its own personal board.
09:36Because when you have a look on the status,
09:38it's not only the presidency of the United States,
09:41it's the presidency of Donald Trump himself
09:43with veto rights on any kind of decision.
09:48And it is not acceptable.
09:50We absolutely need to reform the United Nations
09:53and maybe to create new opportunities
09:56for permanent member states coming from Africa
10:00or Latin America or Asia,
10:03but certainly not to create such a move on.
10:04But you do agree that it has to be reformed, the UN?
10:07Of course, of course.
10:08That's why there is a void which has to be somehow filled in.
10:11But there is a current process of reforming the UN
10:15called UN80, trying to merge some agencies
10:22to create new opportunities in order to be more efficient.
10:26But creating something new in order to bypass the United Nations,
10:31it is certainly not the way Belgium intend to follow
10:34and neither to support.
10:36Finally, and very, very briefly,
10:38another strategy coming from the United States
10:40is abrupt and last-minute announcements
10:43regarding the tariffs against certain countries.
10:45there was eight NATO members,
10:46there was France on Tuesday morning,
10:49it's your neighbour.
10:50How do you behave and what do you do
10:51if tomorrow that's Belgium?
10:53For more tariffs?
10:54We already act together
10:56with my different foreign minister,
11:00the different colleagues of the European countries,
11:03trying to identify how to react
11:07on an adequate, appropriate and firm manner.
11:11I had a meeting yesterday with some of my colleagues
11:14discussing about that under the lead of Kayakalas,
11:19our representative of the Commission
11:21for the Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union.
11:25And of course, it is not acceptable.
11:27We absolutely need to avoid any escalation
11:30on this tariff war.
11:34Otherwise, it will be bad for both parties,
11:36also for the US.
11:37We also have instruments in order to react.
11:42But I think that we prefer a reasonable solution
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