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France backs Denmark and Greenland in response to Trump’s feedback
France expressed its “solidarity” with Denmark following US president Donald Trump’s newest threats to take over the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland, AFP reported.
“Borders can’t be modified by pressure,” French overseas ministry spokesman Pascal Confavreux informed tv channel TF1.
“Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders and the Danes, and it’s as much as them to resolve what to do with it,” he stated.
European leaders seem torn in face of recent world order after Venezuela assault
Patrick Wintour
Diplomatic editor
European leaders emerged divided and torn as they tried to welcome the ejection of Venezuela’s authoritarian president, however nonetheless uphold the ideas of worldwide legislation that didn’t seem to permit Donald Trump to grab Nicolás Maduro, not to mention declare that the US will run Venezuela and management its oil business.
Europe tried to concentrate on the precept of a democratic transition, stating that the continent had not recognised Maduro because the professional chief of Venezuela since what had been extensively thought to be fraudulent elections in June 2024.
However Trump’s rejection of the Nobel prize-winning Venezuelan opposition figurehead, María Corina Machado, was awkward. Trump stated she didn’t have assist or respect in Venezuela, however European leaders have embraced her as main an opposition that deserves energy.
Worldwide legal professionals say the US rejection of Maduro’s legitimacy opens a path for Washington to argue that he doesn’t take pleasure in sovereign immunity as a head of state within the US home courts, in the identical approach that George Bush was allowed to attempt Manuel Noriega within the US after his seize in 1989.
US officers have claimed the operation towards Venezuela was justified on the grounds of self-defence, arguing that the federal government was concerned in drug-trafficking.
The Yale professor of worldwide legislation Oona Hathaway, nevertheless, stated she noticed no believable justification underneath the UN constitution for the US use of pressure. “If drug trafficking is an inexpensive justification for attacking one other nation then a complete vary of doable arguments will be made that mainly imply that self-defence is now not an actual exception. It’s the brand new rule.”
In an indication of Europe’s discomfort, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the prime minister of Greece, one of many 10 non-permanent international locations on the UN safety council, tried to shut down dialogue of Trump’s strategies. “Nicolás Maduro presided over a brutal and repressive dictatorship that caused unimaginable struggling on the Venezuelan folks. The top of his regime affords new hope for the nation,” he wrote on social media, including that “this isn’t the time to touch upon the legality of the latest actions”.
The nearer ideological allies of Trump in Europe, such because the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, deemed the US operation professional, describing it as a “defensive intervention”.
Criticism from others was probably muffled for worry of attracting Trump’s displeasure when his assist for Ukraine continues to be thought-about important. The EU overseas affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, stated: “The EU has repeatedly said that Maduro lacks legitimacy, and has defended a peaceable transition. Below all circumstances, the ideas of worldwide legislation and the UN constitution have to be revered. We name for restraint.”
The European Fee president, Ursula von der Leyen, additionally centered on what would possibly occur subsequent. “We stand in solidarity with the Venezuelan folks and assist a peaceable and democratic transition. Any answer should respect worldwide legislation and the Constitution of the United Nations,” she stated.
The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, additionally dived for canopy. “The authorized evaluation of the US intervention is complicated and requires cautious consideration,” he stated.
France too was circumspect. With out mentioning the US army operation, Emmanuel Macron stated on Saturday that the top of the “Maduro dictatorship” was one thing the Venezuelan folks might “solely rejoice in”, and known as for a “peaceable and democratic transition” led by Edmundo González Urrutia, the opposition candidate for the 2024 presidential election. In an act of solidarity he additionally spoke to Machado.
The clearest critic was the French overseas minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, who stated the operation to seize Maduro “violates the precept of non-use of pressure that underpins worldwide legislation”.
“France reiterates that no lasting political answer will be imposed from the skin and that sovereign peoples alone resolve their future,” he stated.
“The repeated violations of this precept by nations entrusted with the first duty as everlasting members of the United Nations safety council may have heavy penalties for world safety, sparing nobody.”
UK prime minister Keir Starmer shed no tears over Maduro’s departure and talked about the significance of worldwide legislation, however the UK prime minister didn’t talk about the way it would possibly apply on this occasion.
Those that advocate for worldwide legislation might now discover themselves interesting to a vanishing world order by which Venezuela is the newest burial in an already crowded graveyard.
Paris courtroom to rule on alleged on-line harassment of France’s first woman
We’re additionally anticipating a information line from France this morning, as we’re ready for a verdict in a high-profile case introduced for alleged on-line harassment of the French first woman, Brigitte Macron, with malicious feedback about her together with claims she was born a person.
10 persons are accused of making malicious feedback about her gender and sexuality. For some, this included equating her age distinction together with her husband, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, to “paedophilia”. If convicted, they resist two years in jail.
The Paris trial is the newest part in a authorized battle on either side of the Atlantic towards the false declare that Brigitte Macron is a person named Jean-Michel Trogneux.
Right here’s out newest report on the case:
At the very least two lifeless in Russian strikes on Ukraine
In the meantime, a minimum of two folks had been killed in a collection of in a single day Russian assaults on Ukraine, only a day earlier than a high-level diplomatic summit in Paris on ending the warfare.
AFP reported that the strikes brought on energy outrages in some areas of the nation, with backup methods activated to keep up water and heating provides, the official stated, as temperatures dropped to -8C.
Two airports in neighbouring Poland needed to briefly shut within the early hours on Monday, because the nation’s army monitored Russian strikes on western Ukraine.
Morning opening: What a yr, huh?

Jakub Krupa
Welcome again to Europe Stay in 2026. Hope you all had an ideal break and are able to face what’s forward of us, as the brand new yr appears set to be as soon as once more fairly wild.
Thus far, we’ve got had the US army motion in Venezuela leaving EU leaders torn, a significant vitality blackout in Berlin, a disruptive airspace management outage in Greece, heavy snowfalls in elements of Europe, new Russian assaults on Ukraine, and simply final evening, renewed US threats towards Nato ally Denmark over Greenland.
Paraphrasing a preferred scene from Tintin, which became a meme: what a yr, huh? Captain, it’s solely 5 January. Buckle up.
It’s not precisely regular for the Danish prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, to must problem a stern assertion telling the US president, Donald Trump, that:
“It makes completely no sense to speak concerning the US needing to take over Greenland. The US has no proper to annex any of the three international locations within the Danish kingdom.”
She added:
“I might due to this fact strongly urge the US to cease the threats towards a traditionally shut ally and towards one other nation and one other individuals who have stated very clearly that they don’t seem to be on the market.”
She was swiftly and pointedly backed by different regional leaders, together with Finland’s Alexander Stubb, Iceland’s Kristrún Frostadóttir, Norway’s Jonas Gahr Støre and Sweden’s Ulf Kristersson.
In a submit on Fb, Greenland’s prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen additionally known as Trump’s feedback “fully and completely unacceptable,” and “disrespectful.”
However talking aboard Air Power One on Sunday hours after their remarks, Trump doubled down on his declare that Greenland ought to change into a part of the US.
“We’d like Greenland from the standpoint of nationwide safety, and Denmark isn’t going to have the ability to do it,” Trump informed reporters, including:
“You realize what Denmark did not too long ago to spice up up safety in Greenland? They added yet one more canine sled. … The European Union wants us to have it they usually realize it.”
“We’ll fear about Greenland in about two months … let’s speak about Greenland in 20 days,” he added.
Erm.
The Danish Trump watcher, a place set as much as particularly monitor what’s popping out from the US president’s mouth to alert Danish leaders, will need to have sighed a number of instances final evening.
I’ll deliver you all the important thing developments right here.
It’s Monday, 5 January 2025 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa right here, and that is Europe Stay.
Good morning.