The message: Greenland is not for sale. This is the position Danish and Greenlandic officials intend to convey, according to an EU diplomat familiar with the preparations, speaking to Zoja Šeftalović. The diplomat added, "It's good to have a frank dialogue with the administration."

Where things might go: Officials do not rule out that Washington's first move could be an offer to buy the island, an idea Greenland's Prime Minister Jens Frederik Nielsen described as "inappropriate" before the talks even began. Where might these talks be headed? “We are one family.” In a show of unity, Nielsen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen held a joint press conference before the meeting. “We go into the room together, we come out together, and we talk to the Americans together,” Nielsen said.

What a turnaround! I was in Strasbourg when Nielsen visited the European Parliament in October and declared that Greenland “has no intention” of joining the European Union. On Tuesday, his tone changed. He said that if forced to choose between the United States and Denmark, “we will choose NATO, we will choose the Kingdom of Denmark, and we will choose the European Union.”

Mixed signals from Congress: These talks come as a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday proposed a bill to prevent U.S. President Donald Trump from invading a NATO member state by targeting funding for foreign military incursions. Yet another lawmaker introduced a bill to annex Greenland and grant it statehood, proposing… well, the bill will do exactly what it says.

A European diplomat, in a significant article published on Politico by Jacopo Paregazzi and Nicolas Vincor, emphasized that preserving NATO remains the bloc's top priority. Trump himself has suggested that it "might be a choice" between Greenland and the alliance, while both Frederiksen and EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius have warned that any military action would spell the end of NATO.

The art of the Greenland deal: Former US Ambassador to NATO, Kurt Volker, who is visiting Brussels this week, warned that Trump is very serious. "He thinks, like a real estate agent, that you don't invest in something you don't own—you have to own it," Volker said.

A friendly piece of advice: "I always joke, but it's not entirely wrong, that the default position for Europeans is to wait, worry, and complain. If you do that, you'll get the worst President Trump can offer." Indeed, Washington, for now, seems content to provoke Europe online rather than de-escalate.

A trade freeze between the EU and the US?

Exclusive: European Parliament likely to postpone crucial US vote: A crucial vote on raising tariffs on US industrial goods is likely to be postponed, four parliamentary officials told Politico, citing Camille Geis and Max Griera. The proposal, a tactical response to Trump's threat to annex Greenland, is certain to anger Washington.

 Under an agreement reached last summer, the European Union committed to legislation raising tariffs on US industrial goods and lobsters in exchange for Washington reducing tariffs on European cars. The US has fulfilled its commitments, while the EU has yet to do so. The Council of the European Union, representing national governments, adopted its position in late November; now, all eyes are on the European Parliament.

The senior lawmakers involved in the issue are meeting at 9 a.m. to decide whether to postpone the vote, which was scheduled for January 26 by the European Parliament's trade committee.

Growing opposition: Socialists and Democrats, along with the European Greens, support a delay, officials from both parties told Politico. With transatlantic tensions escalating, one Socialist and Democratic MEP believes many MEPs would vote against the agreement if it were put to a vote now.

We can take the hard way: “We are not in a hurry,” Valérie Haër, leader of Renew Europe, said Tuesday morning. “We can vote quickly, but we can also postpone it if the political situation does not stabilize and if Donald Trump continues to threaten our territorial integrity and parliamentary sovereignty.”

Who benefits? The European People’s Party (EPP), the largest parliamentary group and the party of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, opposes using the vote to send a message to the United States. “There should be no delay, because we need to show certainty to our businesses,” Zielana Zovko, the party’s lead MEP on US trade, told Max. Zovko warned that only Europe's enemies would benefit from a failed agreement, specifically naming Russia and China.

An illogical vote: A parliamentary official stated, "There will be a delay because the left will vote with the far right in this illogical parliament," indicating that center-left forces could pass the agreement with the  support of far-right groups. 

Before the European Union can lift industrial tariffs, Parliament must adopt its position on the Commission’s proposal, a process that has already tested Washington’s patience. US Trade Representative Jameson Greer told Politico that his country will not grant further tariff exemptions unless the EU adheres to the terms of the agreement.

Meanwhile, 24 members of the European Parliament are urging Parliament President Roberta Mitzola to intervene and freeze all work related to the agreement with the United States, according to two signatories of a letter drafted by Danish MEP Per Clausen. The list includes two Socialist members, Dutch MEP Thijs Ruiten and Austrian MEP Andreas Schieder, with support from the Greens and the Left Party.