Minister in Davos: Trump speech mainly for the benefit of a US audience

U.S. President Donald Trump's speech to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday, was aimed at a domestic audience, Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry Erkki Keldo (Reform) said.
However, Trump's speech shows he trusts NATO as an organization, even as he expects more from allies, Keldo, who is in Davos for the summit, told ETV's "Ringvaade."
Ringvaade: The World Economic Forum is currently taking place in Davos, where Donald Trump said in his speech that the US would not be using military force against Greenland. At the same time, he stated that as a member of NATO, the US has received nothing in return from the alliance. What kind of mood did this create among listeners?
Keldo: Before Trump got around to Greenland, he spoke at length about America, and to me — and to many others here overall — it felt that the speech was clearly aimed more at domestic politics. Those messages — the way he talked about the US economy, how powerful it is, how much it has contributed and done — were clearly domestic in nature.
Then, Trump himself explicitly raised the issue and said: "You want me to talk about Greenland as well." And he did. I think one of the most important messages was that force will definitely not be used. But at the same time, the US needs it, and they must reach a so-called agreement — that is, we must come to an agreement within NATO. In a sense, he actually did not say anything new compared to what he has said before.
Another important message arising from the speech was that NATO is certainly functioning, and that he did not in any way question the alliance. However, once again, he drifted very much into domestic politics, outlining several times how NATO has not treated the US fairly — that the US has always paid into it and that other countries somehow live off the US He said the US must also get something in return from NATO. This is a very clear domestic political message that he has been repeating in America and for a long time.

The anxious times continue, and this Davos meeting will likely not put a full stop to the story. Let us also talk a bit about the economy, tariffs and sanctions. Trump referred to this constantly as well, and the threat that tariffs could be imposed is still in the air. They have not been lifted. What is happening with that right now?
There truly is a great deal of uncertainty. New messages are coming out every day. Trump devoted a lot of time in his speech to tariffs, again in a domestic political framing, and here on the ground in Davos one can also get a sense that since the rules-based world order is under very strong pressure, democratic countries really need to pull themselves together more seriously.
I have mainly met here with our close neighbors — Finnish and Swedish colleagues, as well as those from Lithuania, Poland and Germany — and in talking with everyone, the unified message is that Europe must be more resolute, something Ursula von der Leyen also emphasized in her speech. We must be able to invest more in ourselves — whether in our own defense capability, in energy, so that we are not so dependent on the outside world.
Liberal democracy must, in a good sense, now really get itself moving. We see so many changes and so much uncertainty. Cooperation with allies is needed. This is also a very good message from the Canadian prime minister and from many European leaders.
Diplomacy is a highly delicate art, especially at a time when confrontations have become so sharp and, as you yourself said, at times more incomprehensible and confusing. What applied yesterday may no longer apply today. How do you muster and meet each other there? Who is the most popular man or woman to saunter up to and strike up a conversation with?
There is actually very little of that kind of spontaneous gathering, because the schedules of all world leaders are all planned out, from dawn to dusk. Instead, it is those same informal dinners, behind closed doors, where probably most discussion is arising from reflections on Trump's speech — what people's perceptions are and how different remarks were interpreted.
In general, the distinctive feature of this economic forum has been that leaders from all over the world come together and, let's be honest, everyone is human. It is possible to interact with each other normally and humanely, to talk about domestic politics, what is happening internationally. Perhaps one thing that has saddened many is that Davos was initially supposed to have a strong focus on the question of how to achieve a just peace in Ukraine. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also referred to this, stating it is very unfortunate that the focus now is on tariffs or questions about Greenland. This has clearly overshadowed how much should be discussed about a just peace in Ukraine and the agreements needed. This weighs heavily on many allies.
Is there a turning point in alliance relations right now, where something is decided that we will hear about later?
I don't think so. To be totally honest, the structure of this forum does not particularly lend itself to finding major solutions. Just as we had Trump's speech, there were also speeches by the Canadian prime minister (Mark Carney - ed.), Ursula von der Leyen and the Argentine president (Javier Milei - ed.). The structure of this forum is more one where world leaders discuss their visions of the economy, international trade and security policy. More concrete decisions and next steps are made elsewhere.
For example, in the case of the EU, the heads of government are to meet on Thursday. That is the place where EU member states will talk about issues and agree on a coordinated message. I believe that many ideas from Davos will also reach that table. But, as far as one can sense here among European friends and allies, the wish of everyone in any case is that Europe be united and resolute. Whatever the proposals ultimately are, we will support them together, while also trying to de-escalate the situation with the US It must be remembered that the US and the EU are partners, allies and friends. The US itself has the question of China's economy and its global dependencies. In reality, the focus should be directed where it is needed, not on friends fighting and quarreling with each other. That helps no one.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Johanna Alvin
Source: "Ringvaade", interviewer Grete Lõbu








