Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has confirmed he will confront US President Donald Trump during their scheduled meeting on Wednesday over the Greenland crisis.
This week, the fallout from the Trump administration’s attempts to seize the Danish autonomous territory continued to play out at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.
Various EU leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, spoke about Europe needing to assert itself as a global power against Trump's attacks by flexing its economic muscle, including by investing in Greenland.
Yet it was Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever who broke ranks to offer some hardline rhetoric directed at the US President during both a panel event and in comments to Belgian media.
On Wednesday, De Wever is to scheduled to meet with Trump alongside the Belgian King Philippe and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
"We have to tell Trump as Europe: here and no further. Back down or we're going all the way," De Wever said to Belgium’s Dutch-speaking public channel VRT on Tuesday in Davos.
Europe risks losing dignity
Not holding back, De Wever said Trump is now "crossing so many red lines" – despite Europe's attempts to appease him and be lenient on tariffs and supporting Ukraine, he told a lunchtime panel event.
He believes Europe is now risking "losing its dignity" if it buckles under Trump’s pressure on Greenland.
The Belgian Prime Minister confirmed he plans to share this message with the US President during their meeting on Wednesday, which was scheduled before the Greenland crisis but the subject matter will focus on that.
This week, the US President has not ruled out using military force to seize the territory, while also threatening additional tariffs on eight European countries.
Unless he changes course, Trump’s actions could end 80 years of Atlanticism and US-EU relations, something De Wever hopes will not happen.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a speech during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 20, 2026. Credit: Belga / AFP
"We either stand together, or we will stand divided, and if we are divided, there is the end of an era," the Belgian PM said, saying it would also mark the end of globalisation.
During the event, De Wever even quoted Italian Marxist philosopher Antonio Gramsci: "If the old is dying and the new is not yet born, you live in a time of monsters,’ and it’s up to [Trump] to decide if he wants to be a monster – yes or no."
Moreover, it also cannot be taken for granted that the US would continue to be an ally, he said, as they "have to behave like an ally."
According to De Wever, Trump’s actions only embolden the West’s rivals, including Putin’s Russia and Xi’s China, who can only pose "genuine threats" to Europe if the continent is divided in its response.
Despite the tougher rhetoric, the Antwerp-born PM did not confirm if Belgium would support the EU countermeasures or the 'trade bazooka', the Anti-Coercion Instrument.
De Wever still hopes he will have a chance to make these points to Trump on Wednesday: "That is if that one goes ahead; you never know with Trump."
