PARIS (Realist English). Donald Trump’s escalating rhetoric over Greenland is beginning to alienate even some of his potential allies in Europe, highlighting growing unease over Washington’s foreign policy direction.
In a New Year’s address to the press on Monday, Jordan Bardella, president of France’s far-right opposition party National Rally, condemned the US president’s pledge to seize the autonomous Danish territory, calling it “a direct challenge to the sovereignty of a European country”.
Bardella also pointed to the recent capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro as an example of what he described as overly hawkish US actions, warning against “a return to imperial ambitions” and a global order in which “the law of the strongest trumps respect for international rules”.
The remarks underscore the delicate balancing act for the National Rally in dealing with Trump, whose administration last month signalled readiness to support “patriotic European parties” in a sweeping national security strategy.
While openly critical of Washington, Bardella avoided directly naming Russia in his speech. Responding to a question from Politico, he cautioned against excessive confrontation with Moscow, calling Russia a “multidimensional threat” but stressing that direct standoffs between nuclear powers were inherently dangerous.
The party’s past ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and its dovish stance on support for Ukraine have long alarmed Kyiv’s allies. Critics fear that a government led by Bardella, or influenced by his mentor Marine Le Pen, would scale back France’s leading role in providing security guarantees to Ukraine.
Bardella reiterated his opposition to sending French ground troops and said he would support only “some” of the security commitments undertaken by President Emmanuel Macron.
Early polling ahead of France’s 2027 presidential election shows Bardella outperforming other potential candidates. Le Pen remains the party’s official nominee but is currently barred from running after a conviction last year for embezzling EU funds, a ban she is seeking to overturn in an appeal hearing that begins this week.
