MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Macron warns Davos of a “world without rules” as Trump’s Greenland row intensifies

Macron said the “endless accumulation” of new US tariffs was “fundamentally unacceptable” and urged Europe to respond more decisively

French President Emmanuel Macron told the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday that the world is drifting toward a “world without rules,” where the law of “the strongest” prevails—remarks delivered against the backdrop of a deepening transatlantic dispute over Donald Trump’s push to secure control of Greenland and his fresh tariff threats.

Macron said the “endless accumulation” of new US tariffs was “fundamentally unacceptable” and urged Europe to respond more decisively, including by using its anti-coercion tools, France 24 reported. In his speech, Macron framed the moment as one of mounting “instability and imbalance,” warning that multilateral guardrails are eroding amid wars and trade tensions.

His comments come as President Trump has doubled down on Greenland—an autonomous Arctic territory under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark—and publicly linked his ambitions to resentment over not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. In a diplomatic flare-up, Trump sent a message to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre that, according to reports circulating in the European policy sphere, repeated his demand for “total and absolute” US control of Greenland.

The dispute has also sharpened the EU’s debate over retaliation and deterrence. In Davos, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Greenland’s sovereignty was “non-negotiable” and that Europe’s response would be “firm,” as European capitals weigh how to counter any coercive trade measures. (France 24)

Trump heads into Davos with trade and security dominating the agenda, while European leaders attempt to contain the fallout. Greenland has become a proxy battle over NATO cohesion and the EU’s capacity to act collectively.