Transatlantic ties at risk as Trump threatens escalating tariffs on Europe over Greenland
President Donald Trump on Saturday vowed to implement a wave of increasing tariffs on European allies until the United States is allowed to buy Greenland, escalating a row over the future of Denmark’s vast Arctic island and raising concerns about NATO unity.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said additional 10% import tariffs would take effect on February 1 on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and Great Britain — all already subject to tariffs imposed by Trump.
Those tariffs would increase to 25% on June 1 and would continue until a deal was reached for the U.S. to purchase 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 United States.
“These Countries, who are playing this very dangerous game, have put a level of risk in play that is not tenable or sustainable,” he said.
Alliance at Stake
The countries named by Trump have backed Denmark, warning that the U.S. military seizure of a territory in NATO could collapse the military alliance that Washington leads.
“The president’s announcement comes as a surprise,” Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in a statement.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on X that his country would raise the issue directly with Washington.
“Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong,” Starmer said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa said in separate but identical posts on X that the European Union stood in “full solidarity” with Denmark and Greenland.
“Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. Europe will remain united, coordinated, and committed to upholding its sovereignty,” they said.
Officials from Norway, Sweden, France and Germany reiterated support for Denmark on Saturday and said tariffs should not be part of Greenland discussions.
Cyprus, which currently holds the EU presidency, said it has called for an emergency meeting of ambassadors from the union’s 27 countries on Sunday.
The U.S. Supreme Court has heard arguments on the legality of Trump’s sweeping tariffs, and any decision by the top U.S. judicial body would have major implications on the global economy and U.S. presidential powers.
Some U.S. senators also pushed back. “Continuing down this path is bad for America, bad for American businesses and bad for America’s allies,” Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Thom Tillis, bipartisan co-chairs of the Senate NATO Observer Group, said in a statement.
The U.S. president has repeatedly said Greenland is vital to U.S. security because of its strategic location and large mineral deposits, and has not ruled out using force to take it. Meanwhile, European nations this week sent military personnel to the island at Denmark’s request.
It is noteworthy that a U.S. 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.
In Nuuk, thousands of Greenlanders marched across snow and ice to take a stand against President Trump. They held signs of protest, waved their national flag and chanted “Greenland is not for sale” in support of their own self-governance.
The Greenland territory of 57,000 people, governed for centuries from Copenhagen, has carved out significant autonomy since 1979 but remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark which controls defence and foreign policy, and funds much of its administration.
All five political parties elected to Greenland’s parliament ultimately favour independence, but they disagree on the timeline of such a move and have in recent days said they would rather remain part of Denmark than join the United States.
