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20-01-2026
WASHINGTON: 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 media.
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 criticized Trump’s announcement. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the tariffs were a “terrible idea”, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said they “will hurt us”.
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 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.
Meanwhile, 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 social media. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
