Danish PM: "Europe won't be blackmailed"
Newshour
BBC
4.2 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 18 January 2026
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says "Europe won't be blackmailed", as she and other European leaders continue to weigh their response to US President Donald Trump's tariff threats over Greenland. Trump says he will impose new taxes on eight European nations, including Denmark, in February if they oppose his proposed takeover of Greenland.
Also on the programme: The Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have agreed an immediate ceasefire after nearly two weeks of fighting; and we hear about revolutionary treatment for people with an aggressive form of leukaemia, or blood cancer, which is being offered to patients in the UK.
(Photo: Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speaks at a press conference in Copenhagen, Denmark on the 13th of January 13, 2026. Credit: Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix/via REUTERS)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:09.0 | Hello and welcome to News Hour from the BBC World Service. We are coming to you live from London. I'm Paul Henley. |
| 0:16.4 | Governments around Europe are lining up to say their position on Greenland is non-negotiable. |
| 0:22.3 | It follows President Trump's repeated threat to penalise countries that stand in his way of acquiring the Danish territory. |
| 0:29.6 | He plans trade tariffs against at least eight countries in Europe unless a deal is done. |
| 0:34.9 | The Danish government has called it blackmail. |
| 0:37.7 | EU ambassadors have been holding a news conference in Brussels today. Denmark's foreign minister, |
| 0:43.2 | Lars Larker Rasmussen, said diplomacy must continue. |
| 0:46.9 | We have been asking since the very beginning of this to have a constructive dialogue with our American ally and friends, free from social media |
| 0:59.4 | and headlines and strong words. And we will not give up on that. |
| 1:04.2 | Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada, added his voice as a member of NATO, to the concern. |
| 1:10.4 | We're concerned about this escalation, to be absolutely clear. |
| 1:13.9 | We always will support sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries |
| 1:19.1 | wherever their geographic location is. |
| 1:22.5 | The future of Greenland, decisions about the future of Greenland are for Greenland and Denmark to decide. |
| 1:28.3 | Britain's Minister for Culture Lisa Nandy was interviewed in London. |
| 1:32.1 | She said an adult debate with the White House was now needed |
| 1:35.1 | and that the threat was deeply unhelpful and counterproductive. |
| 1:39.9 | The one thing that we won't do is compromise on our position, |
| 1:44.7 | which is that the future of Greenland is a matter for the people of Greenland |
| 1:48.2 | and the people of the Kingdom of Denmark. |
| 1:50.4 | That is non-negotiable. |
... |
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