Mitsotakis in Brussels for the informal Summit, not going to Davos

According to government sources, Kyriakos Mitsotakis will not travel to Davos, although Deputy Foreign Minister Haris Theocharis arrived there last night. The Prime Minister will chair a meeting at Maximos on sheep and goat pox at 10:30 and then depart for Brussels.

Mr. Mitsotakis did not travel yesterday, Wednesday, officially due to the weather, although the expediency of not coinciding with Mr. Trump cannot be overlooked, despite the unfavorable weather forecasts. And today, however, it is considered rather difficult for the Prime Minister to make a long trip for a few hours, as he would have to leave Davos at noon and return to Zurich, so that from there he could fly to Brussels and be in time for the Summit. In general, however, there is a European reluctance to coincide with Mr. Trump in this period of unprecedented tension in Euro-American relations.

“We cannot play with issues of International Law, nor can we compare them with anything else. We are talking about European territory and this is something that under no circumstances, not only Greece, but Europe as a whole, is going to negotiate,” government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis (Alpha Radio 98.9) pointed out yesterday in this spirit regarding the issue of Greenland.

In all the previous days, the prime minister has maintained an open line with major European capitals and other European leaders, so that they can assess the data and form a common front. Of course, the evening Trump-Rutte discussion, about which more information will be available today, changes the data.

In any case, the Europeans want to discuss in more detail today about Euro-American relations and the prospect of new rifts, given the direct Trump-Macron confrontation. However, Mr. Trump took another step back yesterday, revoking the tariffs he announced against 8 European countries that would participate with forces in the Greenland guarding operation. However, yesterday the European Parliament officially put the US-Europe trade agreement “on ice”.

Reluctance for the Peace Council

In this context, both Greece and most European countries do not intend to participate in the famous Peace Council that Mr. Trump is forming, with the sole exception of Hungary. The position is common, as beyond the buy-in of 1 billion that the American president sets as a condition for participation, the remaining conditions are at least vague and refer to an organization that will function as an “alternative UN”, while also bypassing NATO and the EU.

Also, as reported by competent sources, there are detailed predictions for the next day in Gaza in a UN Security Council resolution, which will be re-evaluated on Monday in New York by its members, in the presence of Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis.

The Summit will take the form of a dinner and is expected to discuss both the European reaction to Trump's moves regarding Greenland, as well as Europe's response to Trump's invitation to a number of European countries to participate in the so-called "Peace Council".

However, one fact that should not be overlooked is that Mr. Trump has made it clear that he will not use military means to occupy Greenland.