Latest Foreign Desk on Monocle Radio. Another @munsecconf.bsky.social special, with US senator Lisa Murkowski, Kosovo PM Albin Kurti, France's Europe minister Benjamin Haddad and former NATO spokesperson @oanalungescu.bsky.social. monocle.com/radio/shows/...
Greater burden sharing among top #NATO commanders. Europeans take leadership roles in the 3 commands that have the operational lead in crisis &conflict. U.S. takes over Maritime Command in the U.K. & keeps key position of Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).
www.nato.int/en/news-and-...
If you ask if allies will be there for the US, they already have. When ๐บ๐ธ came under a horrific terrorist attack on 9/11, NATOโs Article 5 was triggered for the 1st & only time. Tens of thousands of allied troops went to Afghanistan to fight, and many died, alongside Americans. Honour them.
Making private messages public on social media risks leading to rhetorical escalation rather than working behind the scenes to find win-win solutions, including on Greenland. My take for the BBC on President Trumpโs megaphone diplomacy around Davos.
www.bbc.com/news/article...
A gentle reminder that Vladimir Putin rejected all peace deals in 2025, and would therefore be a horrible pick for any "Board of Peace".
Itโs wise to maintain dialogue, push back when needed & step up not just in the Arctic but across Europe. Itโs in our defence interest to show strength by moving faster to become more capable partners in NATO, just as itโs in our interest to stick together.
But this feels like a very dangerous moment, with trust within NATO shifting not just to transactionalism but threats. SecGen Rutteโs call with President Trump & the plan to meet in Davos & continue working on security in Greenland and the Arctic is welcome.
My take for @wsj.com. NATO has faced many crises before eg the Suez crisis in 1956, Franceโs withdrawal from the allianceโs integrated military command in 1966, the Iraq war in 2003 & the 1st Trump administration. Each time, it adapted & emerged stronger.
Threats regarding Greenland only damage Americaโs standing in the world, just as America - like Europe - needs friends & allies in this more dangerous world. The only people I see benefiting from this crisis are Putin & Xi. They must be ordering popcorn.
www.wsj.com/world/in-tru...
China and Russia must be having a field day. They are the ones who benefit from divisions among Allies.
If Greenlandโs security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO.
Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity. (1/2)
โContinuing down this path is bad for America, bad for American businesses and bad for Americaโs allies.โ Statement issued by @shaheen.senate.gov & Senator Thom Tillis on President Trumpโs threat of tariffs over Greenland.
European Union lawmakers are poised to block approval of the EUโs trade deal with the US over President Donald Trumpโs vow to impose tariffs on countries that supported Greenland in the face of American threats.
Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law. They are essential for Europe and for the international community as a whole.
We should know by now not to respond to one of Trumpโs weekend posts as a definitive statement of policy. The content is as outrageous as it is absurd. For that reason there will be strong pushback from markets, Congress, perhaps Supreme Court as well as European governments.
Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson on President Trumpโs threat to impose tariffs over Greenland: โWe will not let ourselves be blackmailedโฆ Sweden is now having intensive discussions with other EU countries, Norway and the United Kingdom for a coordinated response.โ
Hi Annette!
NOW Foreign ministers from Denmark and Greenland give press conference after meeting at White House
m.youtube.com/watch?v=KDol...
Denmark and Greenland said they had begun to increase their military presence in and around Greenland in close cooperation with allies, as part of their promise to beef up Arctic defense. Follow Reuters live page: reut.rs/3NK7Y1F
โGreenland belongs to its people. It is for Greenland and Denmark, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.โ ๐ฌ๐ฑ ๐ฉ๐ฐ
Important signal of European solidarity on #Greenland -joint statement by President Macron of France, Chancellor Merz of Germany, Prime Minister Meloni of Italy, Prime Minister Tusk of Poland, Prime Minister Sรกnchez of Spain, Prime Minister Starmer of UK & Prime Minister Frederiksen of #Denmark.
Allies have increased our presence, activities and investments, to keep the Arctic safe and to deter adversaries.โ
โSecurity in the Arctic must be achieved collectively, in conjunction with #NATO allies including the United States, by upholding the principles of the UN Charter, incl sovereignty, territorial integrity &the inviolability of borders.These are universal principles &we will not stop defending them.โ
#BBCNews - Danish PM tells Trump to stop 'threats' against Greenland
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Mette Frederiksen said "it makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the US to take over Greenland", adding: "The US has no right to annex any of the three nations in the Danish kingdom".
Thereโs much that we donโt know and is unpredictable. There may also be some background deal between Washington and the Kremlin, with Maduro ending up in Moscow, like Syriaโs dictator Assad.
History often rhymes as the year turns. Romanian dictator Ceauศescu was executed on Christmas Day 1989 just as Panamian dictator Noriega fled following the US invasion. The intervention in Venezuela may shift Washingtonโs attention from Ukraine but shld also remind ๐บ๐ธ that Russia is Maduroโs enabler
Significantly, the defense bill also authorises another $800 million in military aid for Ukraine ๐บ๐ฆ
This follows uproar in Congress after ๐บ๐ธ decision to withdraw a brigade that was rotating through Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary & Germany, seen as emboldening Russian aggression. The bill also reasserts congressional oversight in other key areas. It now needs to be approved by President Trump.
Specifically, the bill bans the Pentagon from reducing the number of troops permanently stationed or deployed to Europe below 76,000 for longer than 45 days, unless the Pentagon first consults NATO allies & certifies Congress that a drawdown wouldnโt put national security at risk.
NEW US Senate has passed the #defense policy bill, showing bipartisan support for continued military support to the Baltic countries, maintaining an American officer as #NATOโs Supreme Allied Commander Europe & maintaining a significant ๐บ๐ธ troop presence in Europe.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/17/u...
European leaders outline their security guarantees for Ukraine:
- Support for the Ukrainian army (800k troops)
- Multinational force inside Ukraine
- Mechanism to monitor & verify ceasefire
- Legally binding assistance for future attacks (Article 5-like)
- Post-war recovery assistance
- EU accession
