Trump threatens tariffs over Greenland push; EU weighs retaliation, calls emergency summit
WASHINGTON/BRUSSELS — Former U.S. President Donald Trump escalated a brewing transatlantic clash by vowing new tariffs on key European allies unless the United States is allowed to buy Greenland, drawing swift coordination in Brussels and an extraordinary EU leaders’ meeting set for Thursday.
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Trump said Denmark had failed to counter what he called a “Russian threat” in Greenland, the autonomous Arctic territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, and declared on Truth Social: “Now it is time, and it will be done!” He added that “NATO has been telling Denmark, for 20 years, that ‘you have to get Russian threat away from Greenland,’” and insisted he would settle for nothing less than ownership of the island.
Trump’s tariff plan would impose a 10% levy by the start of February on eight European nations “that have sent troops to Greenland,” rising to 25% by early June if no deal is reached. The targeted countries are EU member states Denmark, Sweden, Finland, the Netherlands, France and Germany, as well as non-EU members Norway and the United Kingdom.
Residents in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, marched over the weekend to protest Trump’s latest attempt to acquire the territory, which he frames as vital to U.S. security amid the encroaching presence of China and Russia.
After an emergency meeting of EU ambassadors, diplomats said member states would decide after Feb. 1 whether to revive €93 billion in suspended retaliatory tariffs against the United States if Washington proceeds. The penalties had been on hold since a framework EU-U.S. trade deal was signed last summer. While officials signaled they are not yet reaching for the bloc’s most punitive trade tool, the Anti-Coercion Instrument, they warned the union is prepared to defend itself against pressure tied to Greenland.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke late Monday with the NATO secretary general and leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom as relations with Washington slid to what diplomats described as their lowest level in decades. European officials have stressed that Greenland is covered by NATO’s collective security pact and that its sovereignty — and Denmark’s — is not up for negotiation.
European Council President António Costa called Thursday’s extraordinary European Council meeting, saying the EU must be ready to respond to “any form of coercion,” even as member states keep a diplomatic channel open. Attention will also pivot to the World Economic Forum in Davos, which opens Tuesday, where eight EU leaders — including Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin — will join von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. European capitals plan a concerted push to steer Trump away from a trade war or any military gambit for Greenland before his scheduled address Wednesday.
In Dublin, Tánaiste and Finance Minister Simon Harris said he will raise Trump’s latest threats at a meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels, calling them “a clear breach” of last year’s EU-U.S. tariff accord. Any new levies would harm the EU economy, supply chains and open trade, he said, urging partners to avoid actions that risk further instability: “The focus must be on working together to protect all of our economies across the EU.”
Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee urged opposition to both the tariff threats and Washington’s push to take over Greenland, expressing solidarity with Denmark, the people of Greenland and the EU states facing potential penalties. “These tariffs are not compatible with the EU-U.S. agreement and they risk undermining the strength of our trans-Atlantic relationship at a time when co-operation matters more than ever,” she said, welcoming Costa’s move to convene EU leaders and pledging to work with partners on next steps.
Additional reporting Reuters
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
