DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — As the World Economic Forum’s annual gabfest in the Swiss Alps got into full swing Tuesday, US President Donald Trump gave everyone something to talk about with his actions on his first day back in office.
Energy executives may consider Trump’s promise to “drill, baby, drill.” Foreign leaders understood what he meant by his desire to expand American territory. Trade defenders have digested the unveiling of its “External revenue service” collecting customs and duties – a concern for many business leaders at the elite gathering.
Since Tuesday’s opening speeches, roundtable discussions and behind-the-scenes meetings in the city of Davos, Trump’s evocative executive orders and speeches have set tongues wagging.
Here is an overview of some major themes.
EU von der Leyen leads climate defense
From the start, participants were able to draw inspiration from Trump’s new approach to American politics.
Despite all his statements, European leaders focused on the fight against global warming after his executive order ordering the US government to withdraw from the Paris climate pact – Again.
Ursula von der Leyen, chief executive of the European Union, called the 2015 agreement “the best hope for all humanity” and promised: “Europe will stay the course and continue to work with all nations that want to protect nature and end globalization. warm-up.”
The voluntary pact aims to limit long-term global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels or at least keep rising temperatures well below 2 degrees Celsius (3. 6 degrees Fahrenheit).
Before his speech, climate activists unfurled a banner above the main atrium of the Davos Congress Center reading: “Tax the super-rich!” Finance a fair and green future.
Even without the U.S. government, the private sector and countries leading the clean energy transition, like China, continue to fight climate change.
“The world is experiencing an energy transition that is unstoppable,” said UN climate chief Simon Stiell. The “door remains open” if the United States ever wants to re-enter the Paris agreement, he added.
Democracy and human rights on the defensive?
Business leaders and policy pundits — as so often with Trump — have sought to move past bluster and exaggerated statements like his call for U.S. territorial expansion or renaming the Gulf of Mexico to ” Gulf of America.”
Europe, like the United States, considered a model of democratic values, is torn by political discord in countries like France and Germany. Some recently ascendant leaders, like Italian Giorgia Meloni, who was invited to the inauguration, present themselves as more favorable to Trump.
Alain Berset, a former Swiss president who heads the Council of Europe, which defends human rights and supports democracy, said he was “not surprised” by Trump’s speech.
He said Trump returned to power following democratic elections, but democracy must be continually defended.
“We are seeing a decline in democracy all over the world, even in the most advanced democracies,” Berset told the Associated Press. “It’s a move in the wrong direction — in the wrong direction.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who criticized Elon Musk, Trump ally, supports the European far rightwas scheduled to speak later Tuesday.
Scholz retains power Germany economically sluggish seems tenuous. Her The Social Democrats are in third position in polls showing conservatives Frédéric Merz the favorite to become the next chancellor after the February 23 election.
Merz himself is expected to take part in a debate in Davos late Tuesday.
Trump didn’t talk about Ukraine. Zelensky did it in Davos
During his presidential campaign, Trump said he could end the war between Russia and Ukraine in a day. He did not mention either country in his inaugural speech, although he said he wanted to be a “peacemaker and unifier” more generally.
Nearly three years after Russia’s all-out invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky used his platform in Davos to urge European allies to stand united.
“We are at a new turning point, which some see as a problem for Europe, but others see as an opportunity. Europe must establish itself as a strong global player,” he said. “Let us not forget that there is no ocean separating European countries from Russia.
He recognized the crucial role of the United States as an ally of Europe.
“In times of war, everyone worries: will the United States stay on their side? All the allies are worried about this. But is there anyone in the United States who fears that Europe might one day abandon them – cease to be their ally? » said Zelensky. “The answer is no.”
“Europe cannot afford to be second or third behind its allies. If this happens, the world will begin to move forward without Europe, and it will be a world that will be neither comfortable nor beneficial for Europeans,” he added.
Aid to the Middle East, Gaza and “gold medal” for Trump?
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, whose country played a key role in organizing the Israel-Hamas conflict. ceasefire in Gaza, expressed his hope to “restore greatness to the Middle East” and welcomed “the good news” of the pause in fighting.
“We saw humanitarian aid arriving. We saw hostages leaving. And we hope that this will be just, you know, a first step towards stability,” he said during a panel on conflict diplomacy.
Tom Fletcher, the UN’s humanitarian aid coordinator, said his immediate priority was to ensure aid reached Gaza during the ceasefire. Beyond that, he said he hoped Trump could help find a way to foster peace in the Middle East between Israelis and Palestinians, something that has eluded his predecessors and many other diplomats and policymakers since decades.
“I hope we can make the case to Trump that this is the thing that (Joe) Biden, (Barack) Obama and (Bill) Clinton couldn’t do,” said Fletcher, who is British. “You know, this is your chance to win a big gold medal.”
He then added some advice for Trump: “Don’t be a loser. Be a winner.
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Associated Press journalists Sibi Arasu in Bangalore, India, and Hanna Arhirova in kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.
