Trump Reaches Davos, ‘Stop Wars Now’ Message On Snow-Covered Hillside Greets Him

DAVOS, Switzerland: US President Donald Trump reached Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday to take part in the World Economic Forum, a day after the elite event produced contentious statements and economic threats arising from tensions between the US and Europe.

Trump’s helicopter touched down after a roughly 40-minute flight to the ski-resort town in the Alps. As it descended, the convoy of presidential helicopters passed a message written into the snow on a nearby hillside that read: “Stop wars now.”

Nearly 3,000 high-level participants from 130 countries, plus an untold number of activists and observers, are expected to converge on the annual event scheduled to last through Friday for dialogue, debate and deal-making in the Alpine resort.

Trump’s third visit as president comes as US allies worry about his ambition to take over Greenland, while Latin America grapples with his efforts to seize Venezuela’s oil.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday called Trump’s planned new tariffs on eight of its countries over Greenland a “mistake” and questioned Trump’s trustworthiness. French President Emmanuel Macron said the EU could retaliate by deploying one of its most powerful economic tools, known colloquially as a trade “bazooka.”

Delay caused by switching aircraft

Air Force One touched down in Zurich a little after 12:30 p.m. local time, nearly two hours after he was originally scheduled to arrive.

The president’s trip to Davos got off to a hiccup when a minor electrical issue aboard Air Force One led the crew to turn his plane around 30 minutes into the flight out of an abundance of caution. Trump changed planes in Washington.

Trump boarded another aircraft, an Air Force C-32, a modified Boeing 757 normally used by the president for domestic trips to smaller airports, and continued his trip to Davos shortly after midnight.

Starmer says Britain ‘will not yield’ to Trump’s tariff threats 

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also said U.S. President Donald Trump’s criticism on Tuesday of the U.K.’s decision to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius was intended to pressure the British leader to change his stance on Greenland.

Previously, Trump had voiced support for the deal as a way to ensure the security of the American base on Diego Garcia, the largest island of the archipelago in the Indian Ocean.

Starmer is set to meet Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in London on Thursday.

The UK is among the eight countries threatened by Trump’s tariffs over their backing of Greenland.

Trump’s Board of Peace

A White House official says about 30 countries are expected to join Trump’s Board of Peace

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe internal plans not yet made public, said about 50 countries had been invited to join the organization.

The official did not detail which countries were joining.

Trump’s Davos address to focus on America First

A White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the president’s plans said that Trump will also speak about his plans to have the U.S. dominate the Western Hemisphere and may also speak about his push to acquire Greenland and what’s next for Venezuela after the U.S. captured its former leader, Nicolás Maduro.

The president is scheduled to have about five separate meetings with individual foreign leaders while he’s on the trip, according to the official. The names of the leaders were not shared.

Nvidia chief executive makes his Davos debut

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang made his Davos debut, holding forth on the artificial intelligence boom that’s underpinned by his company’s advanced chips.

Sporting his signature black leather jacket, Huang told an audience that Europe should integrate AI with its strong industrial base to keep up with the global tech race dominated by the United States.

“This is your opportunity to now leap past the era of software. United States really led the era of software,” Huang said.

“Get in early now so that you can now fuse your industrial capability, your manufacturing capability with artificial intelligence,” he said, adding that physical AI in the form of robotics “is a once in a generation opportunity for the European nations.”

US envoy to meet Putin and Ukrainian delegation

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff says he plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Ukrainian delegation.

“I’m hopeful,” Witkoff told The Associated Press about his expectations for the Putin meeting. “I’m hopeful that all meetings will go well on that subject. We need a peace.”

Trump boasted while campaigning for reelection in 2024 that he could settle Russia’s war in Ukraine in one day. Those efforts have so far proved futile, despite Trump, Witkoff and other top administration officials saying they were optimistic a peace deal could be achieved soon.

While many leaders and officials kept their opinions to themselves before the address, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis alluded to tensions between European countries and the U.S. over Greenland.

“Of course we are looking forward for the speech,” he said. “So, I hope we will find a nice solution among allies.”

Babis chuckled recalling his conversation with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, a Trump golfing buddy who is reputed to be one of his closest friends in Europe: The Finnish leader had “publicly invited Donald Trump to sauna, to relax and to speak between allies.”

Glad-handing and hugs abounded among old friends, political leaders, academics and activists. Personalities like former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, now a prominent environmental defender, also crisscrossed the maze of Davos hallways with the likes of President Karol Nawrocki of Poland and Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Rutte, whose NATO alliance has been rattled by Trump’s threats over Greenland, waved to and hugged old acquaintances, but didn’t say whether he hoped to meet Trump.

US and EU trade reps meet

Trade representatives from the U.S. and the European Union met on the sidelines of Davos.

Maroš Šefčovič, the EU trade representative, wrote on social media that he met with his U.S. counterpart, Jamieson Greer, in “our shared interest to avoid a downward spiral in trade, ensuring predictability for transatlantic business and investment.”

“The EU favours dialogue and solutions, in mutual respect,” Šefčovič wrote.

EU chief says Trump’s threats challenge Europe’s security and prosperity

European Council President António Costa says Trump’s threats to annex Greenland and impose tariffs challenge Europe’s security and principles.

Costa will convene an emergency summit in Brussels with EU leaders Thursday.

Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland for what he says are security reasons has strained trust with European allies.

Costa, speaking at the EU parliament in France, emphasized that only Denmark and Greenland can decide their future. He said EU leaders are united in defending international law and are prepared to counter any coercion, and are rethinking relations with the U.S., a long-time ally.

Ukraine should be security priority: NATO leader

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte warned on Wednesday that the allies might be losing sight of real security challenges posed by Russia in Ukraine as they argue over the future of Greenland.

Rutte said at Davos that he is “a little bit worried that we might drop the ball focusing so much on these other issues.”

Ukraine’s armed forces “need our support now, tomorrow and the day after,” notably with air defense systems and U.S. military equipment that might no longer be “available in Europe for them to defend themselves” if the Greenland dispute escalates, he said.

Rutte insisted “this focus on Ukraine should be our number one priority and then we can discuss all the issues, including Greenland. But it should be Ukraine first.”

Egypt, Israel to join Trump’s Board of Peace

Egypt says it has accepted Trump’s invitation to join his Board of Peace and support the panel’s task in accordance with the U.N. Security Council mandate.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel also said he has agreed to join the board after his office earlier criticized the makeup of the executive committee.

The Egyptian statement came as el-Sissi is in Davos, where he is scheduled to meet with Trump. The Board of Peace is expected to be widely discussed at Davos.

Danish veterans of US wars feel betrayed

Danish veterans feel betrayed as the U.S. escalates threats to seize Greenland, a territory of Denmark.

The Associated Press spoke to two veterans who fought alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The veterans said they understand Arctic security concerns but believe Denmark is committed to defending the region within NATO. They fear the Trump administration’s actions could end the alliance and damage their admiration for the U.S.

There were 44 Danish soldiers killed in Afghanistan, the highest per capita death toll among coalition forces. Eight more died in Iraq.