European Union ambassadors will convene for an emergency meeting today after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened escalating tariffs on key European allies unless the United States is allowed to buy Greenland.
Cyprus, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, called the meeting for late afternoon. EU diplomats said it was set to start at 5 p.m. local time (4 p.m. Irish time).
- Advertisement -
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that starting Feb. 1, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland would face a 10% tariff on all exports to the United States. He said those tariffs would rise to 25% on June 1.
“These countries, who are playing this very dangerous game, have put a level of risk in play that is not tenable or sustainable,” Trump wrote, adding that “strong measures” were needed “so that this potentially perilous situation end quickly, and without question.”
It was not immediately clear what legal authority the president would invoke to apply the threatened tariffs. The U.S. Supreme Court has heard arguments on the legality of sweeping tariff actions, and any ruling could carry major implications for the global economy and presidential powers.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that the move would “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” and said Europe would remain “united, coordinated, and committed to upholding its sovereignty.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the threat and said London would raise the issue directly with Washington. In a post on X, Starmer said applying tariffs on allies was “completely wrong” and reiterated that “Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes.” He added that Arctic security is a NATO concern requiring allied cooperation.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the Greenland-linked threat “unacceptable” and said that, if confirmed, Europe would respond in a coordinated fashion. “No intimidation nor threat will influence us, neither in Ukraine, nor in Greenland, nor anywhere else in the world,” he posted on X.
The tariff demand—explicitly tied to U.S. ambitions in Greenland—injects new volatility into transatlantic ties and could derail tentative trade understandings Trump struck last year with the EU and Britain. Those arrangements included baseline levies of 15% on imports from Europe and 10% on most British goods.
William Reinsch, a trade expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the most alarming element was the selective targeting of some EU members. “It may well convince the European Parliament that it is pointless to approve the trade agreement with the U.S., since Trump is already bypassing it,” he said.
Trump has portrayed Greenland as vital to U.S. security interests amid the encroaching presence of China and Russia in the Arctic. Danish and other European officials have countered that Greenland’s security is already safeguarded by NATO’s collective-defense pact. Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark; Copenhagen has repeatedly said the island is not for sale and that its future is a matter for Greenlanders and Danes.
Trump previously floated the idea of broad tariffs related to Greenland without citing a legal basis. He also said this week he would impose 25% tariffs on any country trading with Iran as authorities there suppress anti-government protests, though the White House has not issued formal documentation on that policy on its website or specified legal authority for it.
The latest threat drew swift protests in Denmark and Greenland, where demonstrators called for the territory to determine its own future free of external pressure.
EU diplomats said ambassadors would review legal, economic and diplomatic options, including potential retaliatory measures and a coordinated approach with the United Kingdom, which was named in the new tariff list. Von der Leyen signaled that any response would seek to protect the bloc’s economic interests while avoiding an uncontrolled escalation with Washington.
Markets and manufacturers across Europe will be watching for concrete steps from Brussels. With implementation dates set as early as Feb. 1, governments and companies now face a compressed timeline to prepare for possible trade disruption—or to talk the United States down from a confrontation centered on one of the Arctic’s most strategically sensitive territories.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
