【By Observer Net, Yuan Jiaqi】

Europe needs to be tough and counter the US President Trump's tariff threats against Greenland? US Treasury Secretary Bensont shrugged his shoulders and was indifferent to it.

"I guess they will first form that dreaded European working group, which seems to be their most powerful weapon," said Bensont, full of mockery, to journalists on Monday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Just over the weekend, Trump once again issued a threat, saying that the US would impose 10% tariffs on eight European countries that oppose its acquisition of Greenland - Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland, starting from February 1st, and increase the rate to 25% from June 1st, until "completely and thoroughly purchasing Greenland".

The EU exploded with anger, with loud voices demanding a strong response. Many European Parliament officials even called for the use of the so-called "anti-coercion tool" (ACI), which includes a series of punitive measures that can restrict investments, limit public procurement, and tighten intellectual property protection against trade partners attempting to coerce the EU.

However, according to media such as the Financial Times and Reuters, Bensont said in an interview at Davos that the EU, as a group of 27 member states, has always had a slow decision-making process, which will seriously affect its ability to develop strong countermeasures or quickly use the ACI tool.

He further "killed the heart" by citing the example that Europe continues to purchase Russian energy, saying, "Their decision-making speed is not fast."

The report believes that Bensont's remarks indicate that the US government seems to have no intention of taking the possibility of the EU using the ACI, the strongest trade tool, seriously.

On Monday, Bensont interviewed at Davos, Reuters video screenshot

The report says that currently, the EU is preparing to impose retaliatory tariffs on $93 billion worth of US exports, and this measure is likely to be implemented before the use of the anti-coercion tool. Bensont bluntly warned the EU that taking countermeasures against Trump would be "extremely unwise".

There are also speculations in the market that Europe might retaliate by selling US treasury bonds. Bensont said that this move would be "self-defeating".

He also specifically pointed out that US treasury bonds performed strongly last year, and took the opportunity to mock France, "In fact, the US achieved fiscal austerity last year, while France has been struggling with its budget."

When asked whether the US is willing to accept a negotiation solution that does not involve actual control of Greenland, Bensont gave an ambiguous response, "At the moment, everyone just needs to believe what President Trump said."

He also emphasized that Trump views Greenland as a "strategic asset" and added, "We will not outsource the responsibility of security in this hemisphere to any country."

Previously, Trump's letter to the Prime Minister of Norway sparked speculation that his renewed interest in Greenland was due to not winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Bensont refuted this claim.

"Saying that the president did this because he didn't win the Nobel Peace Prize is pure nonsense," Bensont said.

Some people are worried that if the US-EU trade conflict escalates again, it could hurt the pressure of domestic cost in the US, but Bensont ignored it.

"From the perspective of price increases, tariffs are actually a dog that doesn't bark," he said, citing data showing low core commodity inflation levels in the US. "As a former professor of economic history at Yale University, I can tell you that the country with a trade surplus often suffers the most severe losses in a trade war."

The 2026 World Economic Forum annual meeting was held in Davos, Switzerland, from January 19 to 23 local time. Trump, who will lead the largest American delegation in the forum's history, is scheduled to arrive in Davos on Wednesday of this week.

On Monday morning, during a brief interview with NBC, Trump made another shocking statement, refusing to rule out the possibility of using military force to seize Greenland.

Additionally, when asked whether he would proceed with the plan to impose additional tariffs on European countries if the Greenland issue failed to reach an agreement, Trump answered firmly, "I will, 100% will."

In the interview, Trump kept mentioning the Nobel Peace Prize. He told NBC that although the Prime Minister of Norway repeatedly emphasized that the award's recipient is decided by an independent committee, he still stubbornly believed that the Norwegian government controls the right to grant the award.

"No matter what they say, the Norwegian government completely controls the award," Trump said confidently.

Meanwhile, many European countries are urgently discussing their response strategies. According to the Financial Times, ahead of the eurozone finance ministers' meeting, both the German and French finance ministers mentioned that they may take countermeasures against Trump's tariff policies, including imposing retaliatory tariffs on the US, freezing the approval process of the EU-US trade agreement reached last summer, or using the EU's ACI tool.

On the other hand, Denmark's representative missed this year's Davos Forum, clearly shifting attention to the situation in Greenland. On Monday, several planes carrying Danish soldiers and equipment landed in Greenland.

Footage from the capital of Greenland, Nuuk, showed dozens of soldiers disembarking from a commercial passenger plane; at the same time, surveillance footage captured a Hercules transport plane landing at the former airbase Kangerlussuaq in the center of the island. Later that evening, surveillance footage from Nuuk Airport showed a second Hercules transport plane.

According to the Danish Defence Forces, in addition to the more than 200 soldiers already stationed in Greenland, large reinforcements are en route to the region.

Søren Andersen, commander of the Danish Joint Arctic Command, told the French newspaper Le Monde that he expects the military exercises conducted by multiple countries in Greenland to continue "for one, even two years."

In recent days, Germany, France, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, and the UK have all sent troops to Greenland to participate in the "Arctic Resilience" military exercise.

Although some of the participating forces from certain countries have returned to their home countries, Andersen said that the European armies plan to re-deploy to Greenland in March next year. He also said that Denmark is seeking to "strengthen military presence and exercise intensity in Greenland throughout the year."

Danish Defence Minister Poulson also stated that Denmark and Greenland have proposed that NATO initiate a special mission in Greenland and the Arctic region, following a model similar to the actions taken by NATO in the Baltic Sea and Eastern Europe.

Poulson said after meeting with Mark Rutte on Monday that the NATO Secretary-General has "known" the current difficulties faced by Denmark and NATO. He also urged NATO to play a greater role in high-latitude northern regions by launching the "Arctic Sentinel" operation.

It is reported that NATO has already launched the "Baltic Sentinel" operation to protect critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, and through the "Eastern Europe Sentinel" operation, to prevent Russian aircraft and drones.

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7597343481341755956/

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