France, Jan. 25 -- Trumps's remarks before the weekend have drawn sharp rebukes from European partners and forced a partial retreat from the White House.

The backlash was swift and wide-ranging, stretching from Paris to Canberra, and comes just as tensions over Greenland had begun to ease.

For many US allies, the comments struck a nerve, reopening painful memories of a conflict that claimed thousands of lives across the alliance.

In France, the reaction was blunt, with the entourage of President Emmanuel Macron saying the remarks were "unacceptable" and required no further comment, stressing instead that the head of state wished to express solidarity with the families of fallen soldiers and to reaffirm "the nation's gratitude and respe...