According to Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump's efforts to occupy Greenland may distract attention from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. — I'm worried that there will be a decrease in concentration [zachodnich liderów] on the issue of full-scale war [w Ukrainie] — said the Ukrainian president in a conversation with journalists on Tuesday.
At the same time, Kiev wants to avoid a dispute over which issue is more important, because a possible conflict could break the unity of its Western allies. “However, these things should not be seen as interchangeable,” Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized.
What did Volodymyr Zelensky say about Greenland?
Why does Zelensky decide not to go to Davos?
What tariffs will Donald Trump impose on products from a given region?
What consequences might the conflict over Greenland have for Ukraine?
Volodymyr Zelensky fears attention will be diverted from Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelensky also emphasized that in the event of an invasion of Ukraine, “we have a full-scale war, a specific aggressor and specific victims.” He also appealed to Washington to listen to European countries on this matter.
— I really, really want America to hear Europe, to really hear it in the form of diplomacy. I think this will happen and I deeply believe that there will be no serious threats, he added.
Volodymyr Zelensky resigns from Davos. Donald Trump wants to take over Greenland
The Russians have recently intensified their attacks on Ukraine. The shelling led to power outages in many parts of the country, including the capital, Kiev. Therefore, Volodymyr Zelensky decided to withdraw from his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos.
On Saturday, Donald Trump announced that he would impose additional tariffs of 10% from February 1. on products imported into the United States from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland. As Trump said, these are countries that sent their military to Greenland. The US president has been arguing for a long time that his country should occupy the island.
In a post on the Truth Social platform, Donald Trump said that European countries that send their military to Greenland are “playing a very dangerous game”. He also added that from June 1, customs duties will increase to 25%.
Donald Trump has repeatedly spoken about the need for the United States to take over Greenland. He recently speculated that if the US does not take control of Greenland, China or Russia will do so. He rejected other solutions, such as increasing the presence of US troops there and the NATO mission on the island proposed by Germany.
In a recent interview with the New York Times, the leader stated that the US may have to “choose” between Greenland and NATO. The Danish authorities and citizens of the country strongly oppose these claims.
