Buffeted by a US superpower turned hostile under Donald Trump, Europe is struggling to set red lines as its once-close ally attacks its laws, eggs on the far-right -- and threatens its sovereignty in Greenland. European nations scrambled a military mission to Greenland to try to defuse Trump’s threat -- but pushing back at the US president is easier said than done. “Telling Trump ‘You can’t do that,’ is not language that he understands,” summed up one EU diplomat, granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. In that spirit leaders have stopped well short of calling out Trump’s threats -- levied right as the Europeans held crunch talks with US envoys on locking in post-war security guarantees for Ukraine. Trump’s threats to Greenland are just one part of the picture.

Source: Dhaka Tribune January 16, 2026 17:00 UTC