Kamal Ghorui
Donald Trump reignited tensions with Europe at the World Economic Forum in Davos by again asserting that the United States should acquire Greenland, insisting he wants “right, title and ownership” of the territory while claiming he would not use force. In a combative speech, the president mocked European allies, criticised NATO and argued the alliance should not obstruct US ambitions.Trump framed the speech as a demonstration of American strength, repeatedly deriding Europe, NATO, clean energy policies and past US administrations, while presenting himself as the sole guarantor of global order.
‘Ended eight wars’
Trump again claimed to have “ended eight wars”, a line he has repeated frequently since returning to office.According to the White House, those conflicts were between Israel and Hamas, Israel and Iran, Pakistan and India, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Thailand and Cambodia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Serbia and Kosovo.Several of these episodes lasted only days and were flare-ups of long-running disputes rather than wars in the conventional sense. In the case of Egypt and Ethiopia, there was no fighting at all — only a diplomatic dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Fighting has also continued intermittently between Rwanda and the DRC despite a peace agreement signed in Washington.Trump also repeated his claim that he stopped the India-Pakistan conflict, saying so again in Davos. India has consistently denied any third-party mediation. New Delhi maintains that the May 10 understanding to end four days of cross-border strikes followed direct talks between the two countries’ military leaderships.
Ukraine funding
During his speech, Trump said: “Biden gave $350bn to Ukraine.”That figure does not match publicly available data. The Kiel Institute, which tracks international military and financial support, estimates total US aid to Ukraine at $119bn from January 2022 to October 2025, BBC reported. Even a broader Pentagon calculation, which includes replenishing US defence stocks and wider military activity in Europe, put the figure at $182.8bn when Trump took office — still far below the president’s claim.Trump also attacked NATO, asking: “What does the United States get out of all of this work, all of this money, other than death, destruction and massive amounts of cash going to people who don’t appreciate what we do?”
Meeting Zelenskyy — or not?
Trump told the Davos audience he would meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “today” and suggested he “might be in the audience right now”.Minutes later, Zelenskyy’s adviser Dmytro Lytvyn contradicted him: “The president is in Kyiv.”Kyiv was dealing with widespread power cuts after Russian strikes, leaving thousands without heat in sub-zero temperatures. When asked again whether the meeting would happen on Wednesday or Thursday, Trump said: “I believe it’s tomorrow.”Trump went on to say Russia and Ukraine would be “stupid” not to reach a deal, adding: “If they don’t, they’re stupid — that goes for both of them.”Trump later said that he would meet Zelenskyyy on Thursday.
Greenland and World War Two
Greenland dominated Trump’s speech. He insisted the US should acquire the island and repeated a long-debunked claim about American ownership.“After the war we gave Greenland back to Denmark. How stupid were we to do that?” he said.But Greenland was never America’s to return. An international court ruled in 1933 that the island belonged to Denmark. During World War Two, the US was allowed to defend Greenland under a security agreement to prevent Nazi occupation, but sovereignty never changed hands.Trump also said: “We already had it as a trustee, but respectfully returned it back to Denmark not long ago.” That claim is baseless. The US has never held Greenland in trust.Despite ruling out force — “I don’t have to use force. I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force” — Trump warned NATO allies: “You can say yes, and we will be very appreciative. Or you can say no and we will remember.”
Inflation and the economy
Trump boasted that US growth had been “extraordinarily high” and claimed “inflation is defeated”.While US growth has exceeded expectations, reaching an annualised 4.3% over three quarters to September, it was stronger during the same period in 2023. Inflation has eased but remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, with prices rising 2.7% over the year to December.Trump also claimed cutting fraud by 50% would balance the federal budget. Official estimates put annual federal fraud losses between $233bn and $521bn, while the budget deficit for fiscal year 2025 was just under $1.8tn.
Somalia remarks and Minnesota fraud claims
Trump launched a lengthy attack on Ilhan Omar, saying: “She comes from a country that’s not a country, and she’s telling us how to run America.”He described Somalia as having “no government, got no police, got no military, got no nothing” and claimed Somali “bandits” stole $19bn in fraud. He also boasted of blowing pirates “right the hell out of the water” and cutting maritime drug trafficking by “97.2%” — figures unsupported by independent data.Somalia is a recognised sovereign state and has been a member of the United Nations since 1960. It is also recognised by major international organisations including the African Union, the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund,
Windmills, Europe and a chaotic finale
The speech veered through attacks on clean energy, with Trump again mocking windmills, before returning to Europe, which he said was “not heading in the right direction”. Trump also claimed China has no wind farms, despite producing many turbines. This is incorrect. China hosts some of the world’s largest wind farms, including in Gansu, and leads globally in wind energy, generating 997 terawatt-hours in 2024—more than double the US total.Trump’s remarks overshadowed almost every other issue at the forum, including housing affordability and global economic coordination. His fixation on Greenland, combined with tariff threats against European allies, prompted warnings from EU leaders about retaliation and damage to transatlantic relations.
