“We prefer respect, not bullies.” Macron, virulent denunciation of Trump's policy, at Davos. French leader's warning: “It would be madness”

The French president on Tuesday directly attacked the Trump administration's policy of claiming Greenland and urged the EU to use the toughest protection tools in the face of US threats, writes Reuters.

Emmanuel Macron said in Davos on Tuesday that the European Union “must not hesitate to use” the anti-coercion tool to respond to US President Donald Trump's threats against Europeans, while admitting that would be unusual with an ally.

“We could be put in a position to use the Anti-Coercion Tool against the United States. This is madness. This is the result of unpredictability and unnecessary aggression,” Macron said.

“Europe now has very powerful tools and we have to use them when we are not respected,” he said in his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Although Macron has appeared more conciliatory toward Trump in private, France has insisted that Brussels take a firm stand with Washington over recent trade threats.

Other European leaders, such as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, are taking a more cautious approach.

“We prefer the rule of law to brutality”

At the same time, Macron criticized threats by US President Donald Trump, who appeared ready to impose additional tariffs on countries that supported Denmark.

Trump's threats “clearly aim to weaken and subjugate Europe,” Macron said.

During the speech, Macron appealed to rules and morality, saying the European Union should not obey the “law of the strongest”.

“We think we need more economic growth, more stability in this world, but we prefer respect, not thugs,” Macron said, speaking in English.

“We prefer science to (conspiracies) and we prefer the rule of law to brutality,” he added.

Macron also made an apparent appeal to the US, asking us to “stop wasting time with crazy ideas”.

“Let's not open Pandora's box and address new topics. This is not the time for new imperialism or new colonialism. This is the time for cooperation, to solve global challenges for our fellow citizens,” he said.

Trump is coming to Davos on Wednesday

US President Donald Trump has announced that he has agreed to attend a “multi-party” meeting on Greenland during the World Economic Forum in Davos after having a “very good” phone conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

Trump is expected at the forum on Wednesday. “As I have made very clear to everyone, Greenland is imperative to national and global security. It cannot back down,” he wrote.

But the news was not encouraging for anyone, especially since Trump accompanied his announcement with various other threats, against France or Greenland.

European shares and Wall Street futures fell for a second straight day, while the dollar and US Treasuries also fell as investors continued to shun US assets.

Increasing tensions

Trump's comments come amid rising tensions between Europe and Washington over the US president's threats to seize the Arctic island.

On Monday, Denmark sent a “substantial contribution” of soldiers and its army chief to the island, in addition to the more than 200 troops already there.

On Tuesday, Trump posted what appeared to be an AI-generated image of himself, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Greenland with an American flag and a sign that read: “US Territory EST 2026.”

The US president's threat to impose 10% tariffs on European states has raised the specter of a trade war with the EU bloc, throwing the transatlantic relationship into crisis.

Ursula von der Leyen's warning

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also warned Washington on Tuesday against meddling in Greenland and said Europe's response to US President Donald Trump's threats would be “unwavering”.

“Throwing us into a dangerous downward spiral would only help the very adversaries we are so determined to keep out of our strategic landscape,” von der Leyen said in a special speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

“So our response will be firm, united and proportionate,” she said.

Greenland's sovereignty is “non-negotiable”, von der Leyen added. “It is the sovereign people who decide their own future,” said the president of the European Commission.

But she appealed to Trump's transactional spirit: “In politics, as in business: a deal is a deal. And when friends shake hands, that gesture has to mean something,” she said.

She pointed out that Trump's latest threats to impose tariffs on EU countries in retaliation for sending troops to Greenland were a “mistake” that emptied the spirit of the agreement reached last summer between Washington and Brussels.