Opposition to US has hardened in western Europe after Greenland threat, poll finds

Demonstrators in Copenhagen in January. Just 26% of Danes said they saw the US as a friend or ally, down from 80% in 2023. Photograph: Kristian Tuxen Ladegaard Berg/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Western Europeans prize Europe’s autonomy and values over transatlantic ties and will not give them up to placate Donald Trump, according to a poll suggesting opinions of the US have plunged to their lowest since YouGov began tracking them a decade ago.

The US president’s attempted Greenland grab has succeeded in turning Europeans solidly against his country, the pollster’s latest survey found. Large majorities in Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Great Britain all declared an unfavourable opinion.