European leaders’ strategy of diplomatic appeasement toward President Trump's Greenland ambitions has faced a stark setback. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s measured engagement was undercut when Trump publicly berated him on social media over unrelated territorial decisions, dubbing them “great stupidity.” This episode illustrates the volatility and unpredictability complicating transatlantic relations.
High-profile figures including Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk and California Governor Gavin Newsom have emphatically urged Europe to abandon conciliatory tactics and adopt a firmer stance against the US president’s coercive moves. Accusations that Europe has been weak or accommodating fuel calls for strategic resilience.
Despite efforts to manage the dispute calmly, Trump released private messages between European leaders, undermining trust and crisis diplomacy. Think tanks suggest Europe should build coalitions, unify Denmark and Greenland’s voice, and prepare economic countermeasures including sanctions on US firms exploiting Greenland resources if annexed.
The emerging consensus is that Europe must brace for economic pain and political friction while seeking to slow Trump’s timeline, with hopes pinned on internal US political shifts after the mid-2026 primaries.
