Trump deciding to wind back on tariffs on countries opposed his takeover of Greenland reduced the pressure at a hastily arranged summit of EU leaders. "We engaged very actively with the United States on various levels," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters following the summit. "The European way of life is different than the American way of life," said European Council President Antonio Costa. So, the other question is whether it was the EU that prompted the US president to change his mind. "Trump probably just invented his deal so it didn't look so bad when he U-turned," one EU diplomat told DW on the sidelines of the EU summit.

Source: New York Times January 23, 2026 09:40 UTC