DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 21 (Reuters) - ECB President Christine Lagarde walked out of a dinner at the World Economic Forum during a speech critical of Europe by U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and the hosts called off the event before dessert, sources familiar with the matter said.
The European Central Bank president exited during a passage of heavy criticism levelled at Europe by Lutnick that drew heckling at the dinner on Tuesday night, said one of the sources who was briefed on what happened.
The dinner was hosted by BlackRock CEO Larry Fink as co-chairman of the WEF for all of the major members of the forum along with heads of state and other dignitaries, a person who was invited to it said.
A couple of hundred people were invited to the dinner. Fink ended the dinner before dessert after the heckling incident as people were walking out, one of the sources said.
The ECB declined to comment on the report. The U.S. Commerce Department and the World Economic Forum did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
U.S. President Donald Trump's demand to take over Greenland has been met with fierce, emotional opposition from European leaders. He is expected to address the annual gathering of the global elite in the Swiss resort town of Davos on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Peter Thal Larsen, Paritosh Bansal, Divya Chowdhury; additional reporting by Ananya Palyekar in Bengaluru; editing by Andrew Heavens and Mark Heinrich)
