Trump tariff threat over Greenland ‘unacceptable’, European leaders say

A threat by US President Donald Trump to impose fresh tariffs on eight allies opposed to his proposed takeover of Greenland has drawn condemnation from European leaders.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the move was “completely wrong”, while French President Emmanuel Macron called it “unacceptable”.

The comments came after Trump announced a 10% tariff on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland would come into force on 1 February, but could later rise to 25% – and would last until a deal was reached.

Trump insists the autonomous Danish territory is critical for US security and has not ruled out taking it by force.

Following Trump’s threats, the European Union called an emergency meeting for 17:00 in Brussels (16:00 GMT) on Sunday. The meeting will involve ambassadors from the EU’s 27 countries, according to the Reuters news agency.

Meanwhile, thousands of people took to the streets in Greenland and Denmark on Saturday in protest at the proposed US takeover.

Greenland is sparsely populated but resource-rich and its location between North America and the Arctic makes it well placed for early warning systems in the event of missile attacks and for monitoring vessels in the region.

Trump has previously said Washington would get the territory “the easy way” or “the hard way”.

European countries have rallied to Denmark’s support. They have argued that the security of the Arctic region should be a joint Nato responsibility.

France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and the UK have dispatched a small number of troops to Greenland in a so-called reconnaissance mission.

Announcing the new tariffs in a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump said those countries were playing “a very dangerous game”. At stake, he said, was the “Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet”.

He said the proposed 10% levy to be introduced next month on goods exported to the US would rise to 25% in June and remain “payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland”.

In his response, Starmer said: “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.”

UK opposition leaders also criticised Trump’s announcement. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the tariffs were a “terrible idea”, while Reform UK leader and Trump ally Nigel Farage said they “will hurt us”.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called Trump’s behaviour “unhinged” but said how the UK responds “matters a lot”.

Green MP Ellie Chowns said the US president “treats the international stage like a schoolyard playground, attempting to bully and brute force other countries into compliance with his imperialist agenda”.

France’s Emmanuel Macron said: “Tariff threats are unacceptable in this context… We will not be swayed by any intimidation.”

Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson said: “We won’t let ourselves be blackmailed.”

“Sweden is currently having intensive discussions with other EU countries, Norway and the United Kingdom to find a joint response,” he added.

In a post on X, European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen, said: “Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law.”

“Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” she added.

Trump will face von der Leyen and other European leaders such as Macron at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this week.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said “China and Russia must be having a field day” following Trump’s announcement.

“They are the ones who benefit from divisions among Allies”, she wrote on X.

European Council President Antonio Costa stated: “The European Union will always be very firm in defending international law… which of course begins within the territory of the member states of the European Union.”

Denmark’s foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said the threat had “come as a surprise”.

Meanwhile, German MEP Manfred Weber, head of the conservative EPP group in the European Parliament, said Trump’s move raised questions about the still-to-be-ratified EU-US trade deal negotiated last year.

Brussels and Washington clinched a deal that agreed a US tariff on all EU goods of 15% and that the 27-member bloc would open its markets to US exporters with 0% tariffs on certain products.

“The EPP is in favour of the EU-US trade deal, but given Donald Trump’s threats regarding Greenland, approval is not possible at this stage,” Weber posted on X. “The 0% tariffs on US products must be put on hold,” he added.

The US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, however, said Denmark “just doesn’t have the resources or the capacity to do what needs to be done in the northern region”.

He told Fox News the life of Greenlanders would be “safer, stronger and more prosperous under the umbrella of the United States”.

Trump has often mused that “tariff” is his favourite word, and he has made clear that he views it as something of a blunt instrument with which to convince – or coerce – countries around the world to align their policies with the desired outcomes of the White House.

But his announcement represents a significant escalation in his recently rekindled drive to acquire Greenland, despite their opposition.

It is unclear what immediately prompted the tariffs announcement, which Trump first hinted at while speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday.

While in recent weeks he has repeatedly said that a variety of options – including the potential use of military force – remained on the table, the announcement comes just days after US and Danish officials agreed to set up a high-level working group to discuss the future of the island.

In Washington’s diplomatic and political circles, that announcement was seen by many as a “best-case” scenario for Denmark and its European allies – one that would, at the very least, delay any decision or further escalation from the White House.

Instead, the latest tariffs have injected a newfound sense of urgency into the issue and strained relations with important Nato allies and trading partners.

Gregory Meeks, the ranking Democrat on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he will “be offering a resolution to terminate these illegal and absurd tariffs immediately”.

He said: “Trump is manufacturing a foreign crisis and sabotaging our closest alliance – all while ignoring the real crisis the American people actually care about: affordability.”

Opinion polls suggest 85% of Greenlanders oppose the territory joining the US.

Demonstrations against Trump’s takeover plans were held in Danish cities as well as in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, on Saturday – before the tariff announcement.

In the Danish capital, Copenhagen, placards were held up reading: “Hands Off Greenland” and “Greenland for Greenlanders”.

“We demand respect for the Danish Realm and for Greenland’s right to self-determination,” said Camilla Siezing, heads of Inuit, an umbrella group of Greenlandic associations.

In Nuuk, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen joined protesters holding signs reading “Greenland is not for sale” and “we shape our future” as they headed for the US consulate.

The rallies coincide with a visit to Copenhagen by a delegation from the US Congress. Its leader, Democratic Senator Chris Coons, described Mr Trump’s rhetoric as “not constructive”.