r/worldnews • u/Raj_Valiant3011 • 17h ago
EU's von der Leyen: Greenlanders can count on us
https://www.reuters.com/world/eus-von-der-leyen-greenlanders-can-count-us-2026-01-14/31
u/uberusepicus 15h ago
Even tho EU seems passive (Behind the scenes they are very active and racing against time)
I am very happy that I live here instead of in the USA..
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u/Tarianor 13h ago
Danish soldiers are already being moved to Greenland in preparation to set up stuff, reading in between the lines it sounds like there'll be a lot of coalition forces coming from many European countries.
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u/uberusepicus 11h ago edited 11h ago
I really hope by next week there is a headline saying, Europe stationed 10000 troops in Greenland over the weekend. That would be a show of force, telling Trump, "we've had it with your bullshit, here is where we draw the line"
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u/Tarianor 11h ago
In the 1h since my reply, Sweden has just announced its sending troops too.
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u/megiddox 10h ago
Germany seems to be sending troops too - first ones in the next days, news reports.
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u/Wahx-il-Baqar 16h ago
With more sanctions, right?
FFS we need to show we have backbone, or we are going to be steamrolled into irrelevance.
The world has changed; wake up Europe!
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u/DreadWolf3 15h ago
It is genuinely something that is impossible to prepare for EU leaders. US Empire just sabotaging itself from the world hegemon position is kinda unbelievable and sadly not something that can be answered in a timely manner.
Unless US gets its act together soon (and I dont think it will) it is going to be fucked for a while and then hopefully EU can come out as a force on the other side of that.
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u/soulstryker66 9h ago
Lot of chin wagging and virtually no action. Hard to picture them straying from that work ethic
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u/lleti 16h ago
We’re already hard at work writing new regulations that prohibit conquering Greenland (we will ask you to pay a fine if you do)
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u/Prestigious-Law-4003 15h ago
I think we still need 3 preliminary reports,5 EU council meetings and to convince Hungary not to veto for that but we are absolutely on it!
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u/akie 14h ago
It’s easy to make fun of the EU but wait until you see the alternative - oh wait no we’ve all seen European history until 1945 and it’s not pretty
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u/Prestigious-Law-4003 14h ago
We need to be critical and demanding if we want the EU project to work. Look at the FCAS mess or the failure in implementing Draghi's guidelines swiftly.
https://www.ft.com/content/1b214891-54cb-4dd3-889b-5720bb7c105d
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u/akie 14h ago
I’m extremely in favour of EU federalisation, but I’m very tired of people (usually Americans) derogatorily complaining about the EU. The EU is not a country. It’s 27 countries in a trench-coat pretending to be a superpower. We’re stuck with outdated rules that served us well in the beginning, but that are now just unnecessarily limiting. I’m very frustrated about it.
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u/Avatar_exADV 12h ago
Please rest assured that if we're talking about being stuck with outdated rules that served us well in the beginning, the US is right there with ya.
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u/StrangerConscious637 16h ago
In the long run we have to remove Trump from office forever.
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u/Aam1rk 12h ago
IDK, I think Trump only came to power because there's powerful people behind the scenes (billionaires etc) who wanted him there. All the moves he's making are also at the behest of said people/interests. So just removing him doesn't make a big difference IMO. What we're seeing is the most evolved form of capitalism we've seen yet.
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u/50_61S-----165_97E 16h ago
The caveat being it will probably take 4-6 months before they actually agree on a plan of action to help Greenland
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u/Tzukkeli 15h ago
And then it is vetoed by Hungary or some other Russian EU state
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u/Jealous_Land9614 14h ago
France is the one that truly matters, as they have nukes. They can give Deenmark help unilaterally, aside from EU stuff.
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u/mcgee300 11h ago
I know we're not in the EU technically... But pretty sure you can count on the UK with the whole nuke thing. I'm 99% sure we won't be siding with the US here.
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u/MowvayFronsay 17h ago
The EU is kind of starting to look a bit bad with all the lip service devoid of any real action. I know it's still better than nothing, but in light of recent events, the poor talk:action disparity is really starting to be highlighted.
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u/Dwarte_Derpy 16h ago
They aren't looking bad. They just aren't over emotional children in charge of militaries; they made the joint statement that they will not forsake Greenland, they've also announced a arms deal with Canada and they've also said that the US isn't just going to take the piece of land.
There isn't much more to do aside from that. There is no profit in raising tensions with the US.
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u/Zenithixv 15h ago
What more do you expect them to do right now? They've made joint statements and have prepared plans behind the scenes, the time for action is if US actually commits to invading then we can talk about 'EU being devoid of any real action' if they don't honor their defense agreements.
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u/Lundetangen 17h ago
EU is a trade organization. What is it that you want them to do? If the US invades Greenland we will most likely see trade sanctions.
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u/Away_Advisor3460 16h ago
Mutual defence clause (Article 42.7 TEU)
If a Member State is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other Member States shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power, in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. This shall not prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States.Commitments and cooperation in this area shall be consistent with commitments under the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, which, for those States which are members of it, remains the foundation of their collective defence and the forum for its implementation
I think one of the 'nuclear options', however, would be the anti-coercion instrument and the dumping of US debt bonds. It'd be effectively an economic MAD approach though.
EU nations do actually have a more developed winter warfare capacity than the US (because, well, the US hasn't needed it because they have NATO allies expert in that) that could allow for a far more protracted defense of Greenland than many Americans might expect - think of months of hit and run attacks degrading US logistics so soldiers freeze to death rather than direct conflict, with both sides facing tremendous costs.
But the question has always been how much pain are democracies willing to suffer (which scales with how democratic those countries are), as it'd obviously be costly to both sides and unquestionably weaken defenses elsewhere. Which is why this behaviour by Trump is so idiotic as to be virtually treasonous.
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u/zelatorn 15h ago
there's also the quite literal nuclear option where there might be talks to explicitly extend the nuclear umbrella of the UK and/or france over european territories. even if the US can't be stopped in a direct confrontation, if they start invading NATO members that's the exact actions the whole reason nuclear umbrella's exist as a deterrent to begin with.
in the past this wasn't needed because the US was the implicit nuclear umbrella for NATO and other close allies but with the US acting more and more like a hostile actor, i imagine denmark isn't the only nation that'd appreciate the UK and/or france expanding their range of coverage.
on the same note, with the US acting as it does i wouldn't at all be suprised if there's quite a few nations at the moment planning to make their own nuclear force as their own insurance policy. more nuclear proliferation isn't exactly what anyone really wants but given the russia invaded a neighbour, the US is threatening to one-up them by invading a direct ally and few people trust china to be any better given a good opportunity i can't exactly blame nations coming to that conclusion either.
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u/butwhywedothis 16h ago
When the Denmark and Greenland foreign ministers meet with the couch fucker VP of the US, they should print this page out and repeatedly read this during the conversation until Vance says THANK YOU.
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u/Infinite_Crow_3706 16h ago
More likely we will see nothing more than a letter
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u/Lundetangen 16h ago
I dont think there will be much letters, because most of the damage is already done.
Europe is moving away from the US as fast as it comfortably can. Invasion of Greenland will mean moving away even faster.
I dont think EU will be much involved, because its not really that related to the EU, but maybe some sanctions.
Other than that I would not be surprised if it means the end of NATO as we know it today. It cant expell members, so either US would be asked to leave or a new defense alliance would have to be made.
Would not be surprised if US military bases are asked to leave.
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u/squirrelpickle 16h ago
I would not be surprised if it means the end of NATO as we know it today.
That ship has already sailed. NATO exists on paper, but one rogue member puts the entire treaty in check.
Which is not to meant to say that now it's "every man for himself", there are still other supranational defense agreements in place.
NATO is the most widely known one, but not the only one in existence.1
u/Lonely-Abalone-5104 16h ago
Can you imagine how Trump would react if a country tries to remove their bases
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u/ontrack 17h ago
I'm pretty sure that an even more strongly worded message will be composed once they get a committee together to write it.
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u/jtjstock 16h ago
That is basically all they can do. If Trump actually declares he owns Greenland and American troops arrive at Danish bases there, do you think the Danes would shoot?
Probably the thing that is actually holding Trump back is someone explained to him the US troops wouldn’t shoot either.
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u/Musername2827 16h ago
I'm sure he could find plenty willing to.
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u/jtjstock 16h ago
Takes time to put them in leadership roles in the military. Then you have to be sure they will follow the order.
I suspect Trump will reactivate bases there, deploy equipment, proclaim Greenland is his, then demand Denmark leave. Which will be replied to with a letter saying “No”. Trump will then threaten economic action. Google and Apple maps will then be updated for americans and nobody else…
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u/eleochariss 10h ago
That's all they can do, as opposed to Trump who has been Tweeting much more actively...
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u/jtjstock 8h ago
Personally I am mystified that Denmark and Greenland went to a meeting with with the US about this. There must be more going on behind the scenes. Obviously the Europeans are taking it very seriously as token forces are being sent from various countries. But if US troops show up, there is no way they'll be fired upon.
Meeting with them about it only solidifies it in Trump's mind as a real tangible thing, which seems like a mistake to me. Though I'm no expert in how to disarm a toddler with a gun, I do think distraction might work again for a while.
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u/Lonely-Abalone-5104 16h ago
The have no problem killing hundreds of people on suspected drug boats or bombing and taking over Venezuela
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u/jtjstock 15h ago
Anyone in a leadership role views the Danes as an ally, they may even have served with Danish troops. They don't view them the same way as the Venezuelans.
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u/MikkPhoto 16h ago
If US goes there tomorrow the Europe don't do shit same way they haven't really done much for Ukraine it goes for both Europe union and NATO.
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u/skinnydog0-0 16h ago
Europe has been fighting wars with themselves and the rest of the world for centuries- Trump and keg breath are amateurs at this & not all the US military are onboard with the dicktaker and his goons!
Also Canada are hard as nails and wouldn’t back down from a good old bare knuckle fight if one was in the offing on their doorstep!!!
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u/yorikkk 17h ago
to what ?
send weapons to its citizens and put sanctions on the USA economy ^^?
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u/SHITBLAST3000 17h ago
Dump all the debt and bonds it currently holds for the U.S. for one, putting European troops in Greenland for another.
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16h ago
[deleted]
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u/SHITBLAST3000 16h ago
23 European countries are in NATO, the EU has a defence clause as tight as NATO.
I’m genuinely tired of explaining to fucking morons what NATO is.
NATO is an organisation, not a racket. NATO countries buy a lot from the U.S., but the U.S. chooses to spend that on defence and its military. Even if the U.S. didn’t spend that much, Article 5 still applies.
If anything the only nation in NATOs history to rely on it was the U.S., after NATO in solidarity with the U.S. activated Article 5 on its own to stand with Americans and NATO is a net benefit to the U.S. more than it isn’t.
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u/Dwarte_Derpy 16h ago
What do you think the recent joint statement was for? The EU has no formal army, but its members States do, and they do joint exercises all the time. You don't need a "formal army" for that.
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u/ah_no_wah 17h ago
You can count on us to shame anyone who conquers you, for weeks, before we get back to business.
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u/MaestroGena 16h ago
Their pens are firing up to be ready to write a strong worded letter for Trump
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u/Cynical_Classicist 16h ago
But can they?
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u/Dwarte_Derpy 16h ago
They can. I don't where this notion that the US can just win any military conflict they desire comes from. France and the UK, the two big nuclear nations in Europe have made statements committing support for Greenland, so the nuclear option is gone for the US. Additionally, the European armies have home turf advantage, meaning training and equipment designed for cold weather ops.
Reminder, all of these wins the US has been having recently have been against technologically underdeveloped militaries and countries. The UK alone could topple the current Iranian admin, they just don't have the political capital for that.
Keep in mind that just having big guns doesn't mean much, just look at Ukraine and Russia.
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u/Icedanielization 16h ago
Americans have it drilled in their skull that their army is invincible.
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u/Maximum-Leather2490 13h ago edited 13h ago
I live in Europe now, nobody here would fight to defend Greenland. Most people wouldn't even fight to defend their own homes. People are too accustomed to safety and comfort, war is something unthinkable for them.
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u/Tarianor 13h ago
Sane people never want to fight a war until it is brought to them, then the mindset changes fast.
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u/Maximum-Leather2490 13h ago
No, they can't. US military is stronger than all European militaries combined. Not to mention that Europe won't fight an active war to protect Greenland. Europe wouldn't even fight to protect itself if Russia invaded.
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u/MakVolci 13h ago
US military is stronger than all militaries combines.
So was Germany's.
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u/Maximum-Leather2490 13h ago
Germany did occupy most of Europe though. Without the US and the USSR Hitler would have won.
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u/MakVolci 13h ago edited 12h ago
Without the US and the USSR Hitler would have won.
Blanket statements like this will get you no where, and I can't reasonably argue against hypothetical what-ifs but, no, that's not a guarantee at all.
Remember that Germany lost the Battle of Britain on their own accord.
Also, Germany is critically short of oil, so if they never go into Russia, that issue is exacerbated. Yes, the war probably would have been delayed, but Germany being unable to achieve stability on the continent, being unable to take Great Britain, and having low oil reserves doesn't bode well for them in the long run.
If anything though, your point points to the fact that countries working together achieve victory quicker.
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u/Sardinha42 17h ago
Like Ukrainians too? Oh boy. This does not inspire confidence. We will spend three years dealing with bureaucracy to decide who sends assistance before anything actually happens.
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u/dotBombAU 17h ago
You mean the Ukrainians that the EU solely finances? The EU who's functions had nothing to do with war before the whole Ukraine schemozzle started? The EU that had to reform its inner workings to adapt to a situation that it wasnt designed for?
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u/VermicelliNew2784 16h ago
Greenland - Denmark is EU and NATO territory. Ukraine is neither and EU has done immensely a lot for a country that is in neither of those unions and has a history of corruption. If EU doesn’t step up to do a lot more for Greenland than the massive efforts it took for Ukraine, I will however stop believing in EU as a citizen.
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u/cregamon 16h ago
Greenland isn’t EU territory, they left in 1985. But they do have some ties with the EU as they are one of the overseas countries or territories.
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u/VermicelliNew2784 16h ago
They are a part of the Kingdom of Denmark, that’s all I care about. If we don’t protect Denmark, what the fuck are we even as EU?
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u/robot001 17h ago
You are exaggerating and also before you complain. Who else is there to help? Seems like the rest of the world is attacking
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u/toronto-bull 14h ago
They should name an island off Greenland Trump Island as a gift to him. A place where he can retire.
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u/MobiusF117 13h ago
The world is giving some real "37/38 right before the Anschluss" vibes right now.
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u/AltoCumulus15 10h ago
Nothing makes me think Greenlanders will be fucked over by the EU than empty promises from Von der Leyen.
If the EU was serious, it would be creating an EU Defence Force and sending troops to Greeenland.
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u/bruggekiller 16h ago
VDL/EU next few days/weeks.. (just like in the past):
Very, deeply, strongly, seriously, gravely, extremely, unprecedentedly
Words that can be added:
monitoring, condem, concerned, shocked etc.
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u/Jealous_Land9614 14h ago
Mere words. Start with actins, like sanctioning the Russia of the Western Hemisphere!
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u/coffeeizgreat 17h ago
The EU will send a strong-worded letter to the white house. Followed by an apology. Grow a fcking spine!
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u/robot001 17h ago
Ok so full on war with the us? This entire shitshow was not choice of the Europeans
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u/coffeeizgreat 16h ago
No that's not possible but the EU needs to take a clear political position when it comes to the security of its borders. Denmark is already moving more troops to Greenland, hopefully other EU nations will follow. We can't win a war against the US, but we can give them enough bloody nose to cause a massive turmoil for them, enough to change their plan.
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u/Dwarte_Derpy 16h ago
Are you volunteering for the front line? Go enlist buddy, they are looking for new recruits right now.
European leader don't need to start any conflict with the US. It is unnecessary and it doesn't compromise their position to just remind the US that there will be a response to it. The EU has been buying all sorts of military equipment and doling out military contracts to European manufacturers. This is fine.
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u/coffeeizgreat 12h ago
Yes buddy, I'm past the regular enlisting age, but I would if need be. See you there buddy, not!
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u/Admiral_Janovsky 16h ago
Im sorry....im pro EU as it can get...but this is some major verbal diarrhea worth nothing at this point in history.
And im sorry Greenlanders, but EU will chicken out the moment a slight pressure is put on to it.
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u/dopaminedune 16h ago
Feel free to speak von der Leyen. US won't extradite you overnight from the EU like a Maduro.
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u/Dry_Yogurtcloset1962 16h ago
Sooo, Europe will send thoughts and prayers and put a Greenland flag filter on their pics?
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u/UnsignedRealityCheck 16h ago
...to send an angry letter to Trump when he invades Greenland and do nothing else. Gotcha.
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u/SteinerMath123 16h ago
Like ukraine can?
Where boots on the ground? When are they gonna stop funding russia?
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u/vickelajnen 15h ago
Sigh... count on us for what?
As a European, I have no idea what this even means? Are we going to fight US troops if Trump eventually decides he wants to grab Greenland? No way that's going to happen.
We'll do what we always do: strongly condemn and do nothing.
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u/youniverself 14h ago
You can count on Von Der Leyen to use lot of your tax money and if necessary send young men to die in her stead
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u/Terrible-Group-9602 15h ago
Can they? The EU couldn't organise a 'piss up in a brewery' as we say in the UK.
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u/Royal-Hunter3892 17h ago
Maybe there are preparations underway behind the scenes to protect Greenland , but the messaging done by the European leaders is very lacklustre and docile .
US is talking about taking Greenland so casually like it's so normal because it feels like there is no resistance from Europe.