European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will not meet Donald Trump in Davos today, a spokesman for the EU body has said.
There had been some speculation the head of the EU executive and Trump might sit down together on the margins of the elite economics summit. Figures close to both leaders had been in contact behind the scenes in recent days, in the run-up to the Davos conference, Jack Power reports.
A commission spokesman said von der Leyen, who made an address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg this morning, was travelling back to Brussels to prepare for a summit of EU leaders tomorrow evening, rather than heading to Davos, where she gave a speech yesterday.
As of early 2026, Greenland is no longer just a vast white space on the map or a remote destination for climate scientists; it has become the epicenter of the most dangerous geopolitical crisis the Western alliance has faced since World War II. This polar island, long considered Europe’s “quiet backyard” in the Arctic, is now an open arena where American dominance ambitions, indigenous self-determination, and European national security calculations intersect, reshaping global influence maps.
To understand this international conflict, one must look at Greenland’s strategic dimensions. It’s the world’s largest non-continental island (over 2 million km²) with a striking demographic paradox: fewer than 60,000 inhabitants (the lowest population density globally), mostly concentrated on the southern and western coasts. The island’s value lies in three main aspects:
- Strategic location: Greenland sits between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, geographically part of North America’s continental shelf (only 26 km from Canada), but politically tied to Europe via Denmark. This makes it a gateway to new shipping routes opened by melting ice and a guardian of the vital GIUK (Greenland-Iceland-UK) gap for monitoring Russian submarines.
- Rare resource treasure: Under its ice sheet (covering 80% of its area and holding 10% of the world’s freshwater), Greenland hides wealth that could shift economic balances. It’s estimated to contain 10-15% of global rare earth elements, crucial for modern industry (smartphones to F-35 fighters), potentially breaking China’s monopoly. The island also has uranium, oil, gas, and construction-grade sand.
- Military stronghold: Greenland hosts Thule Air Base, America’s northernmost base and a key component of its missile warning system and space-air dominance.
This combination makes Greenland a focal point of global power struggles.
Future scenarios and conflict trajectories:
Based on current developments, Greenland’s future seems to be heading towards one of three paths:
- “Resources for Security” deal: A tripartite agreement (US-Denmark-Greenland) saves face for all. Denmark and Greenland grant the US exclusive mining and military base expansion rights, in exchange for massive investments and maintaining “nominal” Danish sovereignty.
- US-backed independence (most likely scenario): Washington supports the “Nalirak” movement and separatist parties to achieve full independence from Denmark. Greenland becomes a US-aligned state (de facto protectorate) via bilateral defense and economic agreements, removing Denmark from the polar equation.
- NATO fragmentation: US pressure for annexation or harsh economic coercion might push Europe towards genuine “strategic autonomy”, freezing military cooperation with the US, effectively ending the Atlantic era as we’ve known it since 1949.
Source: Al-Manar English Website