German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is likely to respond to US President Donald Trump over Greenland when he takes to the podium at the World Economic Forum early on Thursday.
Trump dropped his threat of new tariffs on European nations that resist his plan to acquire Greenland on Wednesday and also said he would not use military force. He mooted an unspecified NATO deal over the Arctic island so Merz's speech will be closely watched.
So far, the chancellor has sought to avoid escalating the row with Trump. Before his departure for Davos, he said that Europeans wanted to respond to "such challenges" in a "level-headed and appropriate" manner.
However, the restraint shown by many Europeans has also been criticized in the Swiss Alps, most notably by California Governor Gavin Newsom, who joked in a television interview that he should have brought knee pads for world leaders.
A meeting with Trump that Merz had hoped for did not take place in Davos on Wednesday. The German side attributed this to the US president's late arrival.
However, Trump did have time on Wednesday for meetings with the leaders of Egypt and Switzerland and others.
After his speech, Merz is set to travel on to Brussels for the EU summit, which will focus on the Greenland spat.
The chancellor is expected to be on his way there during the ceremony planned by Trump to launch his new "Board of Peace," which European capitals fear as a rival to the UN.
