The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said that the European Union will react decisively to the repeated threats of US President Donald Trump related to Greenland and the possibility of imposing tariffs, world agencies reported, BTA reports.
“We consider the American people not only our ally, but also our friend. The deterioration of our bilateral relations would only benefit our rivals, whom we are determined to keep at bay“, said Von der Leyen from the rostrum of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
She stressed that the series of geopolitical upheavals requires the EU to build a new, independent Europe. "We will only seize this opportunity when we realise that this change is permanent," she added.
The Commission President noted that the European Commission is working on legislation to strengthen Arctic defences and warned that Trump's proposed tariffs on countries that oppose his Greenland plan are a mistake, "especially between long-standing allies."
Von der Leyen also questioned the US president's credibility, recalling that last year he had agreed not to impose any more tariffs on EU member states. "The European Union and the US concluded a trade agreement in July last year. In politics, as in business, a deal is a deal. When friends shake hands, it should mean something," she said.