Alpha News

Our Response to Trump Will Be 'Unwavering, United and Proportional'

Published January 20, 2026, 11:36

The European Union's response to Donald Trump's proposed additional tariffs will be “unwavering, united and proportional,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday afternoon during her speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, while also announcing a new package to boost investment in the Arctic and Greenland. “The proposed additional tariffs are a mistake, especially between long-standing allies,” said Commission President von der Leyen, referring to Trump's proposals to impose a 10% tariff on European exports. In her speech, the President recalled the EU-US trade agreement signed last year in Scotland, indirectly sending the message that the new tariffs could invalidate the agreement. “In politics as in business: a deal is a deal. And when friends shake hands, that must mean something,” she said. Von der Leyen also announced a new package of measures to strengthen security in the Arctic, which will include a “massive increase in investment in Greenland” to support the “local economy and infrastructure.” “At the heart of this plan will be the fundamental principle: It is the right of sovereign peoples to decide their future,” the President concluded, emphasizing the need for unity and a strategic approach in an area critical to European and global security.