Chr. Lagarde: The US is “behaving very strangely as allies”
The US is “behaving very strangely as allies,” said today the president of the European Central Bank (ECB) Christine Lagarde, calling for “unity and determination” from the EU in the face of Donald Trump.
“They are behaving very strangely as allies,” Lagarde replied on the French radio station RTL, when asked from Davos, Switzerland, whether the US is an “ally” or an “opponent” of the EU.
“When you are an ally within the North Atlantic Treaty, when you have been an ally for decades and have shared each other’s history, to threaten to take over a territory that is clearly not for sale, such as Greenland, and to impose tariffs and various other restrictions on international trade, you are not exactly behaving in a way that suggests an ally,” she said.
Lagarde noted that she would follow closely the speech of the American president, which is scheduled for today.
“I am not going to meet him personally. My schedule for the day has not been fully finalized, but I don’t think I will. However, I will go to listen to him because the way he expresses himself and what he says are interesting,” she said.
“Once President Trump redefines his position this afternoon in Davos, Europeans will be able to determine what they will do together. For me, what seems fundamental is unity and determination,” said the ECB president.
“I am not worried, but I am on alert and very attentive to how the leaders—who have this privilege, while I do not—will emerge from this situation either in a positive way or in a climate of hostility and confrontation,” Lagarde concluded. (21/01/26)
