‘Rupture in the world order’: Speeches by Carney, world leaders in Davos

US President Donald Trump’s attacks on the current global order have been at the forefront of international leaders’ minds, including American allies, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney calling the US-led global system “a rupture” in Davos, Switzerland, where the world’s leaders, including US allies, are scheduled to gather for the World Economic Forum (WEF).

Trump’s threat to impose himself in Greenland has angered his European allies, who have pressed back against the US president’s policy of using brute force to achieve his foreign policy objectives. Nicolas Maduro, president of Venezuela, was taken by US forces on January 3 and transported there as part of a military operation that shocked the world.

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Trump has threatened to impose new tariffs on European countries if they oppose him in Greenland.

The Canadian prime minister warned that middle powers could be undermined if they don’t work together, while the top official of the European Union called the proposed tariffs a “mistake.”

What were the main conclusions from WEF meetings on Tuesday?

Carney urged that traditional notions of global order no longer apply to the world’s middle powers, urging them to band together to stop aggressive superpowers from coercing them.

The gains from transactionalism will become more difficult to replicate if great powers abandon even the pretence of rules and values in favor of the unhindered pursuit of their power and interests.

He said, “So&nbsp, we’re engaging&nbsp, broadly, &nbsp, strategically&nbsp, with&nbsp, open&nbsp, eyes,” and that’s how we’re doing. We actively accept the world as it is rather than wait for it to change.

The Canadian leader argued that multilateralism is waning as institutions like the World Trade Organization and the UN are “greatly depleted,” and that the idea of a global system based on “American hegemony” is “fiction.”

Our outdated, well-established notion that our geography and alliance memberships automatically gave us prosperity and security is no longer true, according to Carney. “Be direct, please. Not a transition, but a rupture is occurring right now.

When integration becomes the source of your subordination, Carney continued, “You cannot live within the lie” of mutual benefit through integration.

He argued that “middle powers,” including Canada, must cooperate because “you are on the menu if you are not at the table.”

Nostalgia is not a strategy, they say. However, we think we can create something bigger, better, stronger, and more just by fracturing it.

Carney referred to Greenland as:

“Canada calls for focused discussions to achieve our shared goals of security and prosperity in the Arctic, and it strongly opposes tariffs over Greenland.”

Macron, France’s president, declared, “We prefer respect to bullies.”

Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, attacked Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on European nations in his speech at Davos.

Macron said the “endless accumulation” of new tariffs was fundamentally unacceptable, “especially more so when they are used as leverage against territorial sovereignty.”

Macron joked about wearing aviator sunglasses to his address, which the Elysee Palace claimed were meant to shield his eyes from a sprained blood vessel.

The audience chuckled as the phrase “It’s a time of peace, stability, and predictability.”

Then he spoke in a more serious way.

The French president continued, “It’s obvious we are approaching a time of instability and imbalances.” An absolute record, even though I’m aware that some of the wars were resolved, is “more than 60 wars in 2024.”

At the World Economic Forum, French President Emmanuel Macron warned of a “world without rules” where international law is violated and where the only laws that seem to matter are those that are the most powerful.

In his final statement, Macron outlined his vision for Europe’s contribution to global challenges:

In 2026, he declared, “We will be committed to trying to deliver this global agenda in order to fix global imbalances through more cooperations, and we will do our best to have a stronger Europe.”

We do believe that this world needs more stability and growth, as described in the epicentre of the continent.

He demanded investment from China, the second-largest economy in the world, while urging Europe to strengthen its trade defense mechanism.

China is welcome, but he said, “We need more Chinese foreign direct investments in some key sectors to support our growth and to transfer some technologies to Europe rather than just to export to Europe.”

He stated in a statement about Greenland that he had decided to support a friend and another European nation, Denmark, in a mutual exercise in Greenland without making threats to anyone.

We do prefer bullies to be treated like people do, he said as he finished his speech. We do not support the rule of law or the rule of law, but rather science and plotism. You are welcome in France and Europe, respectively.

Ursula von der Leyen, EU representative, said that “Nostalgia will not restore the old order.”

Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, predicted that the EU will become more independent as a result of a number of recent geopolitical shocks.

The good news is that we immediately took action. We’re moving quickly, whether it’s about energy or raw materials, defense or technology.

She did, however, warn that “we will only be able to capitalize on this opportunity if we acknowledge that this change is permanent.”

Nostalgia is a part of our human story, of course, but it won’t bring the old order back.

Von der Leyen added that despite needing more work to finalize the deal, the EU was close to ratifying a free trade agreement with India.

She said, “We are about to reach a historic trade agreement.”

Some refer to it as the “mother of all deals,” which would create a 2 billion population market and account for almost a quarter of global GDP.

Von der Leyen is scheduled to travel to India in the first week of May.

The president of the European Commission added that Denmark and Greenland’s territorial integrity are unquestionable.

She continued, “We are working on a package to support Arctic security,” adding that the EU is also working on a “massive European investment surge in Greenland” to support the local economy and infrastructure.

He from China: “China’s development presents an opportunity.

Beijing is prepared to use its market advantages to grow with other nations, according to Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, who stated at the World Economic Forum. China’s development is a chance rather than a threat.

He continued, “China’s development presents an opportunity to the global economy, not a threat,” and that “equal consultation” should be used to resolve differences and disputes in international trade to foster trust, bridge differences, and resolve issues.

He added that China would keep its economy open.

He declared that China would “open its door to the world a wider” and that it would follow international economic and trade standards.

He claimed that China would promote a market-oriented, law-based, and international business environment and promote equal treatment for both domestic and foreign businesses.

He urged other governments to provide a fair, nondiscriminatory, transparent, and predictable investment environment for Chinese businesses while urging them to continue investing in China and sharing in its opportunities.

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng
He Lifeng, the vice premier of China, said in Davos, Switzerland, that “cooperation” is key to the world’s future.

US, Russia envoys meet in Davos as Ukraine reconstruction plan postponed

Envoys for United States President Donald Trump and Russian President ‍Vladimir Putin have met at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, amid reports that the signing of a $800bn “prosperity plan” was postponed due to tensions over Greenland.

Kremlin ‌spokesman Dmitry Peskov ‍on Wednesday said Moscow would not comment on ⁠talks in Davos, but stressed the importance for Russia of receiving information on discussions between ‌the US, European leaders and Ukraine.

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Russian state-run news agency TASS reported that US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev met on ‍Tuesday ⁠for more than two hours on the forum’s sidelines.

The agency quoted Witkoff as saying the talks had been “very positive”.

Later, Witkoff told The Associated Press news agency that he and Kushner were planning to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Ukrainian delegation on Thursday.

The Kremlin confirmed that the meeting that will take place in Moscow was on Putin’s schedule.

Derailed reconstruction plan

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom’s Financial Times (FT) newspaper reported on Wednesday that tensions in the NATO alliance over Trump’s bid to acquire Greenland had derailed the signing of a Ukraine reconstruction plan, which was originally scheduled to take place in Davos.

The so-called “prosperity plan” to be agreed between Ukraine, Europe and the US was not being shelved indefinitely and could still be signed at a later date, the newspaper added.

“Nobody is in any mood to stage a grand spectacle around an agreement with Trump right now”, one official told the FT. The US president has shaken the transatlantic alliance by repeatedly threatening to take over Greenland, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, claiming alleged “security” reasons.

Residents stand at the site of a Russian drone attack, amid Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, near the city of Chornomorsk, Odesa region, Ukraine, January 21, 2026]Nina Liashonok/Reuters]

‍NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned ‍allies not to allow tensions over Greenland to distract ⁠them from the need ​to defend Ukraine.

“The ‍focus on ⁠Ukraine should be the number one priority, it is crucial for European and ​US security”, ‌Rutte said in a panel discussion in Davos on Wednesday.

“I ‌am really worried ⁠that we lose sight and that in the meantime ‌Ukrainians won’t have enough interceptors to defend themselves”.

Zelenskyy to skip Davos

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Tuesday he would travel to Davos only if documents on security guarantees with the US and a “prosperity plan” were ready to be signed there.

As Russian missile and drone attacks continued to afflict Ukraine’s energy system, the president announced he would stay in Kyiv to oversee relief efforts.

In recent months, Russia has increased its airstrikes against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, frequently focusing on Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro, as well as missile and drone attacks.

Because of the attacks, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are dealing with prolonged power and water outages due to the country’s sub-zero temperatures.

Two people were killed and one injured by Russian assaults in the city of Kryvyi Rih overnight, according to Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday. Additionally, several buildings were damaged by the missile and drone attack.

In the Chernihiv community’s Dobryanska community on Tuesday, a Russian drone was reported to have reportedly exploded close to a school. No injuries have been reported.

Europol busts Europe-wide drug ring in ‘largest-ever’ operation

European police have smashed a major network manufacturing synthetic drugs in illegal labs across several countries.

Polish prosecutors announced on Wednesday that investigators had seized more than 9.3 tonnes of narcotics and arrested more than 100 suspects in an operation targeting ⁠a criminal network centred in the Central European country and spanning the European Union.

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The operation dismantled 24 industrial-scale labs and seized about 1,000 tonnes of chemicals, imported legally from China and India, used to make street drugs such as MDMA, amphetamine and meth, according to news agency AFP.

Andy Kraag, head of Europol’s European Serious Organised Crime Centre, which coordinated police actions across borders, said the operation had dealt a “massive blow to organised crime groups involved in drug trafficking”.

“I’ve been in this business for a while. This is by far the largest-ever operation we did against synthetic drug production and distribution,” he said.

The yearlong operation involved police from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. Among those arrested were two suspected ringleaders, both from Poland, Kraag said.

Laboratories and drug production lines were located in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland, which served as the logistical hub.

The majority of those arrested were from Poland, but Belgian and Dutch nationals are also thought to have been involved.

Suspicions were raised in 2024 when Polish police noticed a network importing vast quantities of chemicals from China and India.

Investigators discovered they were being repackaged, mislabelled and redistributed across the EU to the labs.

Kraag said the operation was part of a “supply-chain strategy” to choke off the synthetic drug industry at its source.