France’s Macron warns US under Trump is ‘turning away’ from allies – Europe live
French President Emmanuel Macron cautioned that the US under Donald Trump is “breaking away from international regulations” and “slowly distancing itself” from certain allies. In a speech to French ambassadors at the Élysée Palace in Paris, Macron echoed the concerns raised by his German counterpart (11:30), expressing worries over the increasingly aggressive US policy. “Multilateral institutions are working less effectively than before,” Macron stated in his yearly address to French ambassadors, as reported by AFP. We are navigating through a landscape dominated by great powers, facing a genuine temptation to carve the world into factions.
ShareKey eventsShow key events onlyPlease enable JavaScript to utilize this feature. The Guardian’s John Harris and Kiran Stacey engage with security and defense editor Dan Sabbagh regarding the UK’s potential role in any future US actions in Europe, and what the outcomes of the past week might imply for the future of NATO and peace in Ukraine.
Italy’s aviation authority vehemently criticized an occurrence at Milan’s Malpensa airport on Thursday, where it stated that Israeli-bound travelers were briefly obstructed from boarding a flight to Tel Aviv by pro-Palestinian activists. Pierluigi Di Palma, the president of the ENAC authority, expressed this condemnation personally during a meeting that he requested with Israel’s ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, at the agency’s headquarters, ENAC announced. ENAC posted a video documenting the January 4 incident, in which protesters described by them as pro-Palestinian activists linked arms and seemingly impeded passengers from passing the gate to board their flight to Tel Aviv. The footage showed protesters clashing with a few passengers who attempted to push through. ENAC confirmed that this incident caused a two-hour takeoff delay. ENAC firmly denounced the protest, initiated an investigation to find the individuals accountable, and pledged to implement measures to prevent similar occurrences in the future, as reported by AP. According to Italian media, those responsible were waiting to board a flight to Morocco from a nearby gate.
A Greenlandic opposition leader informed Reuters that Greenland should engage in direct discussions with the US government without Danish involvement, as the Arctic territory deliberates its response to President Donald Trump’s renewed desire to bring it under US oversight. Trump has intensified threats regarding the acquisition of Greenland, reviving an idea he previously proposed in 2019 during his initial term. Strategically situated between Europe and North America, Greenland is crucial for the US ballistic missile defense system. Its abundant mineral resources align with Washington’s goal of reducing reliance on China. The island operates as an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. It has its own parliament and governance; however, Copenhagen retains power over foreign relations and defense. “We encourage our current [Greenlandic] government to have dialogues with the US government independently of Denmark,” stated Pele Broberg, the leader of Naleraq, Greenland’s largest opposition party and a prominent advocate for the territory’s independence. “This is due to Denmark’s antagonistic behavior towards both Greenland and the US with their mediation.” Naleraq, which fervently supports a swift transition to full independence, doubled its representation to eight seats in last year’s election, garnering 25% of the votes in the territory of just 57,000.
Laurent Vinatier, a French researcher sentenced to three years in a Russian prison for violating Moscow’s foreign agent statutes, has been released as part of a prisoner swap, according to French and Russian officials on Thursday. President Emmanuel Macron announced on X: “Our compatriot Laurent Vinatier is free and back in France. I share the relief experienced by his family and friends.” He expressed gratitude for the efforts of French diplomatic officials. The FSB, Russia’s security agency, reported that Vinatier, 49, was exchanged for Daniil Kasatkin, a Russian basketball player arrested at a Paris airport last June and wanted in the United States for alleged ransomware involvement. The FSB noted that Vinatier was pardoned by President Vladimir Putin, who last month promised to review the situation after a French journalist raised the matter during the Kremlin leader’s annual press conference. Vinatier was detained by the FSB at a Moscow eatery in June 2024 and found guilty in October of that year for breaching laws requiring individuals classified as “foreign agents” to register with Russian authorities.
French farmers are protesting in Paris against a prospective EU trade agreement with South American nations that they argue will lead to unfair competition, as reported by Jon Henley from Paris. Farmers in tractors have obstructed roads surrounding the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe in opposition to the impending EU-Mercosur trade accord. If approved, the agreement would establish a common market of nearly 800 million people, enhancing EU exports of vehicles, machinery, wines, and spirits. Photograph: Romuald Meigneux/SIPA/Shutterstock. The farmers blocked highways outside Paris on Thursday, and numerous tractors surpassed police checkpoints to reach the city center in a pre-dawn protest organized by the Coordination Rurale union. EU member states are set to vote Friday on the agreement with Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay, the four members of the South American trade consortium known as Mercosur. If ratified, it would create a common market of nearly 800 million people, enhancing EU exports of vehicles, machinery, wines, and spirits. A number of European farmers are apprehensive about being undercut by a surge of cheaper agricultural goods from the Mercosur market. Belgian farmers have protested as well, rolling over 1,000 tractors into Brussels last month. “We are caught between resentment and hopelessness. We feel abandoned—Mercosur serves as a prime example,” stated Stéphane Pelletier, a senior figure within Coordination Rurale, beneath the Eiffel Tower, speaking to Reuters.
In additional news, Ireland is set to oppose the Mercosur trade deal between the EU and various Latin American countries, according to the taoiseach during a trip to China, aligning itself with France and Portugal. Micheál Martin declared: “Regarding the fundamental issue surrounding obligations and standards for Irish farmers, our feeling is that we lack confidence in their protection from being undercut. Thus, the Government will vote against it.” The EU is scheduled to vote on the deal with Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay after delaying a decision before Christmas due to objections from Italy and France. Negotiations for the agreement have spanned over 25 years and are now regarded as pivotal for diversifying export markets after Trump imposed extensive tariffs. However, Italy appears to be leaning towards approval, potentially preventing other countries from obstructing the majority vote, even without Hungary and Poland, who have expressed their intention to vote no. France has yet to disclose its stance on the vote tomorrow, but if Italy supports it, the deal is likely to pass. Farmers throughout Europe have been expressing outrage amid concerns over facing lower-priced meat and other products from South America. Tractors are seen parked in front of the Arc de Triomphe during a demonstration by the French Agricultural Union Coordination Rurale (CR) in Paris, France. Photograph: Adnan Farzat/NurPhoto/Shutterstock.
Beware Greenland: Trump’s imperialism is on the rise – podcastIf it isn’t the threats of military action against Colombia and Cuba, or the pursuit of Greenland from Denmark, it’s the seizing of oil tankers in European and Caribbean waters. All of this has global leaders scrambling to determine how to deal with Donald Trump’s reinvigorated form of US imperialism. In the newest episode of our Politics Weekly America podcast, Jonathan Freedland engages with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anne Applebaum about the expectations surrounding Trump having ushered in a new global order. Politics Weekly America. Beware Greenland: Trump’s imperialism is on the rise. Apologies, your browser does not support audio—but you can download here and listen $https://audio.guim.co.uk/2026/01/08-45468-gdn.pwa.260108.ds.Trump_plays_emperor.mp3.
Updated at 14.20 GMTEU foreign policy chief notes ‘deeply concerning’ US comments on Greenland, confirms discussions on EU responseEU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas remarked earlier regarding the recent US remarks about Greenland, labeling them “deeply concerning,” and confirmed that the EU has held internal discussions about a potential response to any US attempts to gain control of the region. Speaking in Egypt following a meeting with the nation’s foreign minister, Kallas stated: “The messages we are receiving regarding Greenland are extremely troubling, and we have also discussed amongst ourselves in Europe … [on] whether this poses a real threat, and if so, what our response should be. Since Denmark has been a commendable ally of the United States … these … remarks do not contribute positively to global stability. I would argue that international law is unequivocal. We must adhere to it as it serves as the only protection for smaller nations, which is why it is in everyone’s interest to uphold international law at all levels.”
Currently, there is heightened attention on another Russian “shadow fleet” tanker reportedly traversing the English Channel. The vessel, now identified as Tavian, was allegedly sanctioned in 2024 under its former name Tia. This sighting, first reported by the Telegraph, follows Britain’s Ministry of Defence indicating that it has rendered military assistance to US forces that seized a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the north-west region near Britain and Ireland. One to monitor.
Updated at 13.35 GMTGermany’s Merz urges Europe to ‘raise price of war’ for Russia to bring Moscow to the negotiating table on UkraineGerman Chancellor Friedrich Merz has called on European allies to “increase the cost of war” for Moscow to induce their return to negotiations concerning Ukraine. The leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz attended the annual retreat of CSU federal lawmakers in the former monastery in Seeon, Germany. Photograph: Angelika Warmuth/Reuters. Speaking shortly after President Zelenskyy’s latest remarks about Ukraine casting doubt on Russia’s willingness to cease its invasion (13:09), Merz stated, “A ceasefire is evidently not on the agenda as Russia has no interest in it.” “Therefore, we will have to persist in raising the cost of this conflict—Russia needs to comprehend that continuing it serves no purpose,” he stressed.
The EU directs X to maintain all Grok records until the end of 2026 amid rising frustration with the AI chatbot’s behaviorIn another development, the European Commission has instructed Elon Musk’s social platform X to retain all internal records and information concerning its built-in AI chatbot, Grok, until the end of 2026, according to a commission representative on Thursday, as reported by Reuters. xAI logo displayed on a screen and Grok account on X displayed on a phone screen. Photograph: NurPhoto/Getty Images. Earlier this week, the commission condemned the distribution of images of undressed women and children on X as unlawful and appalling, joining a growing wave of global officials denouncing the increased sharing of non-consensual imagery on the platform. The Commission has now decided to extend an order for records retention sent to X last year, which focused on algorithms and the spread of illegal content, spokesperson Thomas Regnier relayed to reporters. “This instructs a platform to maintain its internal documents and not to dispose of them, as we harbor doubts regarding your compliance… and we require to have access to them on explicit request,” Regnier mentioned.
France’s Macron warns US under Trump is ‘turning away’ from alliesFrench President Emmanuel Macron cautioned that the US under Donald Trump is “breaking away from international regulations” and “slowly distancing” itself from certain allies. In a speech to French ambassadors at the Élysée Palace in Paris, Macron echoed the concerns raised by his German counterpart (11:30), expressing worries over the increasingly aggressive US policy. “Multilateral institutions are working less effectively than before,” Macron stated in his yearly address to French ambassadors, as reported by AFP. We are navigating through a landscape dominated by great powers, facing a genuine temptation to carve the world into factions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has just indicated that the document that details US security guarantees for Ukraine “is essentially prepared for finalization at the highest level with the president of the United States.” Could there be another significant meeting with Trump on the horizon? The president continued: “It’s vital that Ukraine is effectively uniting the efforts of the European and American factions, and together, we discussed, particularly, documents on recovery and economic progression. Complex issues regarding the basic framework for concluding the conflict were also brought up, and the Ukrainian side shared potential options for finalizing this document.” Zelenskyy further added: “We acknowledge that the American side will interact with Russia, and we are awaiting feedback on whether the aggressor genuinely intends to conclude the war. Upon returning to Kyiv, our negotiation team will provide all the details of these meetings.” He also emphasized that Ukraine will be “updating our partners regarding the repercussions of Russia’s [overnight] strikes, which starkly indicate that Moscow is not reevaluating its priorities.” “In this context, it is crucial that the pressure on Russia remains as intense as the efforts of our negotiation teams. Our partners’ capability to exert effective pressure on the aggressor at this moment is essential for affirming the feasibility of future security guarantees. We are preparing for new relevant contacts with partners.”
Published: 2026-01-08 16:18:00
source: www.theguardian.com
