United States President Donald Trump has vowed to implement a wave of increasing tariffs on European allies until the US is allowed to buy Greenland, escalating a row over the future of Denmark's vast Arctic island.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said additional 10 per cent import tariffs would take effect on 1 February on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and the United Kingdom — all already subject to tariffs imposed by Trump.
Those tariffs would increase to 25 per cent on 1 June and would continue until a deal was reached for the US to buy Greenland, Trump wrote.
Trump has repeatedly insisted he will settle for nothing less than ownership of Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. Leaders of both Denmark and Greenland have insisted the island is not for sale and does not want to be part of the US.
The president has repeatedly said Greenland, which has large mineral deposits, is is vital to US security because of its strategic location, and has not ruled out using force to take it.
European nations this week sent military personnel to the island at Denmark's request.
"These countries, who are playing this very dangerous game, have put a level of risk in play that is not tenable or sustainable," Trump said.
"The United States of America is immediately open to negotiation with Denmark and/or any of these countries that have put so much at risk, despite all that we have done for them, including maximum protection, over so many decades," he said.
Protesters in Denmark and Greenland demonstrated on Saturday against Trump's demands and called for the territory to be left to determine its own future.
UK, Denmark and other countries respond
The countries named by Trump on Sunday have backed Denmark, warning that the US military seizure of a territory in NATO could collapse the military alliance that the US leads.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the US was "completely wrong" to threaten new tariffs on European countries over their opposition to Trump's intention to buy Greenland.
"Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong. We will of course be pursuing this directly with the US administration," Starmer said in a statement.
He said that the future of Greenland was for Denmark and Greenland to decide.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said applying tariffs on countries "for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies" was "completely wrong". Source: Getty / WPA Pool
European countries and the European Council said they were coordinating a response to the tariff threat.
"The European Union will always be very firm in defending international law, wherever it may be, which of course begins within the territory of the member states of the European Union," European Council President António Costa said.
Officials from Norway, Sweden, France and Germany reiterated support for Denmark on Saturday and said tariffs should not be part of Greenland discussions.
"We will not let ourselves be blackmailed. Only Denmark and Greenland decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland," Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said in a post on X.
Trump floated the general idea of tariffs over Greenland on Saturday, without citing a legal basis for doing so. Tariffs have become his weapon of choice in seeking to compel American adversaries and allies alike to meet his demands.
He said this week he would put 25 per cent tariffs on any country trading with Iran as that country suppressed anti-government protests, though there has been no official documentation from the White House of the policy on its website, nor information about the legal authority Trump would use.
The US Supreme Court has heard arguments on the legality of Trump's sweeping tariffs, and any decision by the top US judicial body would have major implications on the global economy and US presidential powers.
The encroaching presence of China and Russia makes Greenland vital to US security interests, Trump has said. Danish and other European officials have pointed out that Greenland is already covered by NATO's collective security pact.
A US military base, Pituffik Space Base, is already in Greenland, with around 200 personnel, and a 1951 agreement allows the United States to deploy as many forces as it wants in the Danish territory.
That has led many European officials to conclude that Trump is motivated more by a desire to expand US territory than security concerns.
Share
