Europe vs. Trump. How Davos-2026 became a turning point for the West

Davos-2026 it has turned into an arena of geopolitical revisionism – Donald Trump He backed off from threatening European allies, but made it clear that the rules of the world order had changed. Having postponed the customs war with Europe and the seizure Greenland, he stated that Europeans owed the U.S. and had to pay.Europeans are offended by Trump – the ally on whom security after World War II rested is increasingly resembling an adversary. LIGA.net collected key impressions from this year's Davos from MEPs and the world media. Here are three main conclusions.Trump mocked allies but ruled out a war over GreenlandTrump's visit and speech were one of the central events of the 50th World Economic Forum in Davos.Trump's speech focused mostly on the alleged prosperity of the US economy under his rule, criticism of Europe, and his desire to buy Greenland. He also mocked Western leaders and confused Greenland with Iceland several times."Looking at this verbose mumbling, I'm not so sure about his cognitive abilities anymore," comments LIGA.net Pekka Toveri, former head of Finnish intelligence and MEP. "His statements are all over the place, he doesn't understand which country he's talking about. This is not a very good sign for a person who holds the most influential position in the world."The US President spoke for over an hour, moving from the economy to nostalgia for the era of European imperialism, criticizing Europeans for liberalism and openness to migration."Trump turned Davos into a place of dramatic rupture between a leading Western player and his increasingly distant allies," writes The New York Times.Mocking European leaders, Trump attacked the values and societies of allies, the framework of world trade created under US leadership after World War II. Europeans sat stunned as he insulted them. Others winced when he said Europe owed America.A new world order is being created under Trump. No one can deny it, not even the Europeans, who have so far tried to ignore it, says Phil Gordon, national security advisor to former US Vice President Kamala Harris.In his speech, Trump crystallized the central idea of the new order: to ignore the rules of international relations.Europeans are deeply shocked, horrified, and very angry, states LIGA.net Daniel Fried, former coordinator of sanctions policy at the U.S. State Department and senior fellow at the Atlantic Council: "I spoke this morning with people from Davos, and they say that Europe's anger is very deep."Following Trump's speech, the European Parliament suspended the ratification of the EU-US trade agreement, which was more favorable to America and which Trump had reached six months ago."By threatening the territorial integrity and sovereignty of an EU member state and using tariffs as a tool of coercion, the US is undermining the stability and predictability of trade relations between the EU and the US," said Bernd Lange, chairman of the European Parliament's trade committee.European governments have come to the difficult conclusion that Americans are now the villains. Those who were the biggest allies of the US are particularly offended. They perceive Trump's actions as a betrayal. On January 22, when the leaders of 27 EU countries gathered in Brussels for an emergency summit, this assessment prevailed in almost all European capitals, writes Politico.During the first year of Trump's second term, European leaders harbored the hope that their worst fears about the U.S. would not come true. But now, it seems, the time for politeness is over.However, in general, all this – Trump's talks, as well as the public condemnation and ridicule of Europe – does not improve Western cooperation and does not strengthen the West, Toveri states."The good news is that Trump has given up on the Greenland issue, probably because he was rebuffed by his own military and Congress," says the former head of Finnish intelligence. "So he realized that he couldn't start a war over it."Trump has created his own equivalent of the CIS – it's time for NATO to change tooOn January 22, Trump signed the charter for the Peace Council, which he presents as an international peacekeeping organization with permanent membership, valued at $1 billion.It was joined by 18 countries: Azerbaijan, Albania, Argentina, Bahrain, Armenia, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Mongolia, Morocco, UAE, Pakistan, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Hungary, and Uzbekistan. The main allies are not.The signing ceremony itself seemed to please Trump. However, this ambiguous initiative became another factor that shifted world attention away from the Russian threat, says to LIGA.net the head of the European Parliament's defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann."The agenda was dominated by other issues – from Greenland to trade disputes, President Trump's ambiguous peace proposals and the Peace Council's initiatives, while the harsh winter and parallel Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure were almost not in the spotlight," she said.All this means that NATO has already changed, and these changes will continue, adds LIGA.net Jakob Funk Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel and a military analyst."Europe and Ukraine must be able to militarily deter Russia without the US. This can be done both with and without NATO," he concludes. "But it is fundamentally important that Europe and Ukraine must be able to deter Russia on their own. We cannot rely on America, Trump, and the Republican Party."A positive détente for Ukraine has occurredTrump promised not to conquer Greenland and not to impose tariffs against allies because of it. He also started negotiations with the NATO Secretary General.Mark Rutte on strengthening security in the Arctic.This gives a chance that by the last days of the forum in Davos, the Greenland issue will lose its urgency. For Ukraine, such a de-escalation could be a good sign, it is stated. LIGA.net MEP Petras Auštrevičius:"The tension has eased a little, and there is an opportunity to also focus on Ukraine – if Greenland is not the dominant issue on the agenda."It is also positive that President Zelenskyy arrived in Davos on January 22 to speak with US President Trump. This gives at least a small hope for concrete commitments regarding security guarantees, further military support, and continued international solidarity, Strack-Zimmermann is convinced.However, such a meeting can only be meaningful if it goes beyond vague political intentions and yields clear and reliable results for Ukraine.After meeting with Trump, Zelenskyy spoke in Davos. The audience gave him a standing ovation.Last year in Davos, I concluded my speech with the words: "Europe must be able to defend itself." A year has passed, and nothing has changed... Now Europe seems confused. Trump will not listen to it. If Ukraine is with it, then no one will wipe their feet on such a Europe," Zelenskyy said.He added that the documents on the end of the war are almost ready and announced the first trilateral meeting of representatives of Ukraine, the United States, and Russia in the UAE, which will last two days.However, all of this is just an interim summary of Davos, which does not promise any radical changes."So far, Davos has not given Ukraine anything substantial," concludes Strack-Zimmermann. "Now everything will depend on the results of direct negotiations."Read alsoThe Trump Peace Council. How the US President Decided to Replace the UN

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