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British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, has said he would not shift ground on his opposition to U.S. President, Donald Trump’s demands to acquire Greenland, noting that the later had reversed his prior support for a Chagos Islands deal to put pressure on Britain.

This even as Trump in his address yesterday to the world leaders at Davos ruled out the use of force in his quest to take control of the Danish Island, and insisted that no other country can secure the territory.

“People thought I would use force, but I don’t have to use force,” Trump said at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Switzerland. “I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.”

Meanwhile, a key group of European Parliament members yesterday blocked a vote to ratify a US-European trade deal following the repeated threat by Trump to impose additional 15 percent tariff on EU members and Britain over their opposition to his Greenland annexation.

Starmer had called for calm discussion on Greenland and indicated on Monday he did not wish to escalate a trade war, after Trump’s threats tariffs.

But, addressing lawmakers, Starmer said it was foolhardy for Trump to rip up relationship with US’ allies.

Starmer has sought close ties with Trump in order to preserve trade and security ties, but in some of his sharpest criticism of Trump, Starmer said he would not be bullied into changing his view that the future of Greenland should be decided by its people and by Denmark.

“I will not yield, Britain will not yield, on our principles and values about the future of Greenland under threats of tariffs, and that is my clear position,” Starmer told lawmakers, adding the Danish prime minister would visit London on tomorrow.

Starmer said that Trump’s criticism of the Chagos Islands deal with Mauritius was because “he wants me to yield on my position, and I’m not going to do so.”

“President Trump deployed words on Chagos yesterday that were different from his previous words of welcome and support. He deployed those words yesterday for the express purpose of putting pressure on me and Britain in relation to my values and principles on the future of Greenland,” he added.

In response to questions from lawmakers urging Starmer to go further in standing against Trump, Starmer said it was still important to work with the U.S. on issues such as Ukraine.

“That does not mean we agree with the U.S. on everything,” he said. “But it is foolhardy to think that we should rip up our relationship with the U.S., abandon Ukraine and so many other things that are important to our defence, security and intelligence.”

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European Union leaders on Saturday warned against US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on European countries until he has achieved his purchase of Greenland.

Cyprus, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Council, announced an extraordinary meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels for Sunday afternoon.

And one senior German MEP said Trump’s latest threat raised a question mark over the EU-US trade deal agreed last year.

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, issued the joint statement hours after Trump threatened multiple European nations with tariffs of up to 25 percent.

“Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” they wrote in a post on social media.

“Europe will remain united, coordinated, and committed to upholding its sovereignty,” they added.

The statement came days after Danish and Greenlandic officials held talks in Washington over Trump’s bid to acquire the territory, without reaching agreement.

“The EU stands in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland,” said the EU statement.

“Dialogue remains essential, and we are committed to building on the process begun already last week between the Kingdom of Denmark and the US.”

Trump said that from February 1, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland would be subject to a 10-per cent tariff on all goods sent to the United States.

German MEP Manfred Weber, head of the largest group in the European Parliament, the conservative EPP, said Trump’s latest remarks called into question the EU-US trade deal negotiated last year.

“The EPP is in favour of the EU–U.S. trade deal, but given Donald Trump’s threats regarding Greenland, approval is not possible at this stage,” he posted on X.

“The 0% tariffs on U.S. products must be put on hold,” he added.

Brussels and Washington clinched a deal in July for most EU exports to face a 15-per cent US levy, but both sides are still pushing for additional trade concessions.

AFP

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Ugandan opposition leader Bobi Wine was forcibly taken away in an army helicopter from his home on Friday, his party said, a day after elections marred by reports of violence.

President Yoweri Museveni is seeking to prolong his four-decade rule in an election that saw widespread repression and an internet blackout.

His main opponent, singer-turned-politician Bobi Wine earlier said he had been under house arrest after police surrounded his compound.

Late Friday, his party, the National Unity Platform (NUP) said in a post on X that an army helicopter had landed in the compound and “forcibly taken him away to an unknown destination”.

It said Wine’s private security guards were “violently assaulted” in the process.

Museveni was comfortably leading as votes were counted on Friday, with the Electoral Commission saying he was on 73.7 per cent to Wine’s 22.7 with close to 81 per cent of votes counted.

Final results were due around 1300 GMT on Saturday.

Authorities have imposed an internet blackout during the election.

Wine, 43, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, has emerged as the main challenger to Museveni in recent years.

The former singer styles himself the “ghetto president” after the slum areas of Kampala where he grew up.

There were reports of violence against the opposition in other parts of the country.

Muwanga Kivumbi, member of parliament for Wine’s party in the Butambala area of central Uganda, told AFP’s Nairobi office by phone that security forces had killed 10 of his campaign agents after storming his home.

His wife Zahara Nampewo, a law professor, said the 10 were hiding in their garage when security forces fired through the door.

“After killing them, the military continued firing,” Kivumbi said. “And they ensured that they removed all the evidence of the dead. You only have a pool of blood that is left here.”

Local police spokeswoman Lydia Tumushabe gave a different account, saying “a group of NUP goons” had planned to overrun and burn down a local tally centre and police station.

“An unspecified number were put out of action,” she told AFP, adding that 25 others had been arrested and charged with malicious damage of property.

Total control

Analysts have long viewed the election as a formality.

Museveni, a former guerrilla fighter who seized power in 1986, has total control over the state and security apparatus, and has ruthlessly crushed any challenger during his rule.

Election day was marred by significant technical problems after biometric machines — used to confirm voters’ identities — malfunctioned and ballot papers were undelivered for several hours in many areas.

There was a heavy security presence across the country.

The United Nations rights office said last week that the elections were taking place in an environment marked by “widespread repression and intimidation” against the opposition.

On Thursday, Wine accused the government of “massive ballot stuffing” and attacking several of his party officials under cover of the internet blackout, which was imposed on Tuesday.

[Credit: AFP]