European Commission chief promises unity on Greenland
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 8.3K Ratings
🗓️ 20 January 2026
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The European Commission President says that the EU stands in "full solidarity" with Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark - adding that their sovereignty is "non-negotiable". Ursula von der Leyen warned there would be an "unflinching" and "united" response to the US threat to take over the island. Also: Donald Trump has condemned Britain's decision to give away the Chagos Islands as an "act of great stupidity;" The British government has given approval for China to build a super-embassy in central London, despite concerns it could be used for spying; Israeli demolition teams have begun to tear down the east Jerusalem headquarters of the UN relief agency for Gaza; rescue teams in Spain are using cranes and other heavy machinery to access the trains which crashed on Sunday. Vietnam's ruling Communist Party is meeting to pick new leaders and set key targets for the young, fast-growing economy; research in Antarctica has found that penguins are breeding up to two weeks earlier because of climate change; and the Beckham family feud has finally exploded into the spotlight.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:05.5 | This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:10.9 | I'm Andrew Peach and at 16 hours GMT on Tuesday, the 20th of January. |
| 0:15.6 | These are our main stories. |
| 0:17.4 | European leaders speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos |
| 0:20.3 | with discussions dominated by the crisis over President Trump's ambition to annex Greenland. |
| 0:26.1 | Rescue teams in Spain searched the wreckage of the two trains which crashed on Sunday, killing at least 41 people. |
| 0:33.0 | Israel has begun demolishing the Jerusalem headquarters of UNRRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. |
| 0:41.5 | Also in this podcast? |
| 0:43.4 | Despite everything China has done on our soil, China has been rewarded with exactly what they want, |
| 0:50.3 | a super embassy that will be a base for espionage, not just in the UK, but likely across Europe as well. |
| 0:57.5 | Reaction to the British government's decision to approve China's new embassy in London, despite concerns it could be used for spying. |
| 1:07.2 | The European Commission President has promised an unflinching European response to President Trump's threat to annex the Danish territory of Greenland. |
| 1:15.8 | Ursula von der Leyen was speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, which has been dominated by the crisis in transatlantic relations. |
| 1:22.6 | We consider the people of the United States not just our allies, but our friends. |
| 1:30.3 | And plunging us into a downward spiral would only aid the very adversaries, |
| 1:36.3 | we are both so committed to keeping out of the strategic landscape. |
| 1:42.3 | So our response will be unflinchy, united and proportional. |
| 1:49.7 | As von der Leyen says the bloc should prepare for seismic change. |
| 1:53.4 | Playing for time and hoping for things to revert soon will not fix the structural dependencies we have. So my point is, if this change is |
| 2:07.4 | permanent, then Europe must change permanently too. It is time to seize this opportunity |
| 2:16.3 | and build a new independent Europe. |
... |
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