BERLIN 

Germany said on Friday that tensions with Washington over Greenland eased after Europe held to its stance and did not give in to US President Donald Trump’s pressure.

“The pressure that arose in the US and the pressure that came from Europe have led President Trump to begin to back down a little,” said Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil in a podcast of the news magazine Politico.

At the same time, Klingbeil warned against breathing a sigh of relief too soon.

“Anyone in Europe who now thinks they can sit back and say that everything has turned out fine again has not understood what is at stake,” added Klingbeil who is also Germany’s finance minister.

While he urged Europeans to protect their traditionally close relationship with the US, he called for them to pursue a two-pronged approach.

“On the one hand, we must keep our hand stretched out (to the US) at all times. And we must never destroy or jeopardize transatlantic relations on our part,” he warned.

On Thursday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz credited European unity for prompting US President Donald Trump to soften his stance on Greenland.

He said the bloc's coordinated response demonstrated that solidarity can influence American policy.

"It has become clear that unity and determination on the European side can indeed make a difference," Merz told reporters in Brussels ahead of an emergency EU summit to address tensions about Greenland and US tariff threats.