Name: EU-U.S. trade deal separate from Greenland dispute, says McAllister
Uploaded: 2026-01-15T14:28:39.389Z
Duration: 4 min 47 s
Description: David McAllister, chair of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, told Euronews that lawmakers should not block the EU-U.S. trade deal over Donald Trump’s comments on acquiring Greenland.

David McAllister, chair of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, told Euronews that lawmakers should not block the EU-U.S. trade deal over Donald Trump’s comments on acquiring Greenland.

David McAllister, chair of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, stated that the EU-US trade deal should not be used as leverage in the dispute over Greenland's sovereignty. He affirmed that Greenland's future should be determined by its people in coordination with Denmark, and that the EU will increase its financial support for Greenland.

McAllister also discussed the EU's response to the situation in Iran, calling for increased sanctions and the listing of the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization. On the Ukraine-Russia conflict, he reiterated the EU's support for Ukraine and stressed the need for a just and sustainable peace.

EU-U.S. trade deal separate from Greenland dispute, says McAllister

David McAllister. Good morning. Great to be here. Yeah, lovely to have you here on Europe Today. And look, the scale of the carnage is just starting to emerge, really, from Iran. What is the EU and the Parliament doing to support people on the ground? Well, we're all observing the situation in Iran now for many weeks with great concern, and these massacres in Iran are just horrific. What we as European Union can do is to show all our solidarity with the brave people in Iran who are protesting against this regime, and we have to increase our pressure on the regime of the Mullah. That means increasing sanctions, new sanctions, putting up political pressure, and of course, as just mentioned in the report, the European Parliament has called now for many years that the Revolutionary Guards should be listed as a terrorist organisation. Well, indeed, that's something that's been on your priority list for years, but why is this not happening? It should finally happen. What are the political and legal barriers here? Well, as we've just heard, it requires a court case, which has now, that has now happened in Germany, and then we need consensus among the 27 member states, and obviously there are a few member states which still have a different opinion. I don't agree with this. The European Parliament has clearly demanded to list them, to call a spade a spade, and the last important country which also listed the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation was Australia in November last year. So what Australia has done, what the United States has done, I think it's now time for the European Union to do the same. Indeed, as you say, it is political. What about Donald Trump's intentions in Iran? Are they making you nervous, even though now he has dialled down the tone? Well, what we just heard and saw this morning is that there will be no public executions. This first step by the Mullah regime might also be a result of increased American pressure, but the situation in Iran remains tense. And let's be very clear, the regime of the Mullah has oppressed their own people now for decades and is a real source of destabilisation in the entire region. And that's the issue. Can we trust Donald Trump when he says this? Well, I think you always have to take very seriously what Mr President Trump says, but also Mr Trump's policies are in the end unpredictable, and I think it's clear that the Americans in the moment will not 100 per cent be clear what they are actually going to do with or in Iran. And what about Greenland? As you heard, their talks broke down yesterday in Washington DC. What is the Parliament and the EU doing to have a say? Greenland is a sovereign part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Greenland is sovereign, and that means that every country should respect the territorial sovereignty and integrity of Greenland. The European Parliament has been very clear, the group leaders in the Conference of Presidents yesterday adopted a very clear statement where we stand side by side with the Kingdom of Denmark, with Greenland, and the future of Greenland will be decided by the people of Greenland, in Greenland, in close coordination with the Kingdom of Denmark. But is there any leverage you as the Parliament can actually use? A lot of MEPs have called for freezing the EU-US trade deal, for example, as a way to put leverage on Donald Trump. Well, first of all, we've been very clear in our commitment towards Greenland. The European Union will step up its engagement in Greenland. But what about freezing those talks? The financial support for Greenland will be doubled in the next annual multi-financial framework. If the talks, if the decision on the US trade deal will be stalled or not, that has to be decided in the European Parliament. I understand that there are different views within the political groups. What's your view? I personally believe that the EPP line is that we should separate the two issues. We need to finalise the US trade talks because our companies need predictability, they need stability. On the other hand, I understand that we need to find majorities. And in the moment, I think the EPP and the European Conservatives are for moving forward, whereas the Socialists, the Liberals and Greens perhaps want to postpone the vote. And finally, a brief point on the Ukraine-Russia war, which of course is still ongoing, even though President Trump's mind is elsewhere. Is it time now, do you think, to talk to Vladimir Putin? We all want peace. But this peace needs to be just and it needs to be sustainable. And this, and this is the most important point, includes security guarantees for Ukraine. Mr Putin could stop this war if he stopped bombing innocent civilians immediately. He has shown no interest in this until now. And that's why our position as the European Union is we stand with our Ukrainian partners and it should be sustainable. And last year, of course, was the deadliest year yet for Ukrainian civilians. Thank you so much, David McAllister, for being our guest today on Europe Today.

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