France, Canada Urge Middle Powers to Unite Against Pressure from Great Powers

New York: Reacting to US President Donald Trump’s reported push to acquire Greenland and renewed interest in annexing Canada, leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos have called for greater solidarity among middle powers to counter growing pressure from dominant global powers.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the global response to rising “instability and imbalances” should be greater cooperation with emerging economies and multilateral groupings such as BRICS and the G20. He warned that increasing global fragmentation would only deepen uncertainty. India is a member of both BRICS and the G20.

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney echoed the sentiment, stressing that middle powers must act collectively. “If you are not at the table, you’re on the menu,” he said, adding that unlike middle powers, major powers can increasingly afford to act unilaterally.

Carney described the current moment as a rupture in the global order rather than a gradual transition, warning of a harsher geopolitical reality in which great-power actions face few constraints. Without naming Trump or the US directly, he said the world is witnessing the breakdown of long-held assumptions about global cooperation.

Trump has reportedly threatened to impose a 10 per cent tariff next month on France and seven other countries supporting Denmark against his demand to annex Greenland, with the tariff set to rise to 25 per cent by June. He has stated his desire to purchase Greenland and has not ruled out the use of military force.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen cautioned that such actions could push the world into a “dangerous downward spiral” that would ultimately benefit strategic adversaries.

US officials at Davos sought to reassure European leaders. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged calm, likening the latest tariff threats to earlier announcements that eventually led to negotiations. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer suggested the tariffs were part of a negotiating strategy, though he emphasised that Trump’s expectations were clear.

Macron, however, warned that the US was openly seeking to weaken and subordinate Europe through tariffs, adding that the rules-based global order was eroding. He also highlighted concerns over China’s excess industrial capacity and market-distorting practices, which he said threatened entire sectors worldwide.

“Trade wars, protectionist escalation, and races towards overproduction will only create losers,” Macron said, also citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as part of the broader challenge to global stability.

On Greenland, Macron reaffirmed France and Europe’s commitment to national sovereignty, the United Nations, and its charter. Recalling the shared history of cooperation between France and the US during the Second World War, he stressed the need for renewed collaboration, noting that France and its allies had joined joint exercises in Greenland to support Denmark without escalating tensions.

With inputs from IANS