The United States is “behaving very strangely as an ally,” European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde said today, calling on the EU to show “unity and determination” toward Donald Trump.
“They are behaving very strangely as allies,” Lagarde told French radio station RTL from Davos, Switzerland, when asked whether the US is an “ally” or an “opponent” of the EU.
“When you are an ally within the North Atlantic Treaty, when you have been allies for decades and have shared each other’s history, threatening to take over a territory that is clearly not for sale, such as Greenland, and imposing tariffs and various other restrictions on international trade is not exactly behavior that points to an ally,” she said.
Lagarde noted that she would closely follow the US president’s speech, which is scheduled for today.
“I will not meet him personally. My schedule for the day has not yet been fully finalized, but I don’t think I will. However, I will go and listen to him because the way he expresses himself and what he says are interesting,” she said.
“Once President Trump clarifies his position this afternoon in Davos, Europeans will be able to decide what to do collectively. For me, what seems fundamental is unity and determination,” the ECB president added.
“I am not worried, but I am alert and very attentive to how leaders — who have that privilege, unlike me — will emerge from this situation, either in a positive way or in a climate of hostility and rivalry,” Lagarde concluded.
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