People wave Greenlandic flags as they gather in front of the U.S. Consulate to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump and his announced intention to acquire Greenland January 17, 2026 in Nuuk, Greenland.
Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images
European leaders have hit back at US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose new tariffs on them if they oppose his attempted purchase of Greenland, calling the ultimatum “completely wrong” and “unacceptable”.
Trump announced on Saturday that eight European allies would face increasing tariffsfrom 10% on February 1 and up to 25% on June 1, if an agreement is not reached so that Washington can “purchase” the Arctic territory, which is semi-autonomous and part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Goods from eight NATO members sent to the United States will face increasing tariffs “until an agreement is reached for the complete and total purchase of Greenland,” Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday.
The proposed tariffs would target Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland, Trump said.
European leaders were quick to respond to the latest threat: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday that “applying tariffs to allies to ensure the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong”, while French President Emmanuel Macron called them “unacceptable.”
“Europeans will react in a united and coordinated way if they are confirmed. We will ensure that European sovereignty is respected,” Macron said on Saturday on the social media platform
Reuters cited a source close to Macron who said he was pushing for the activation of the anti-coercion instrument, which could limit access to public tenders in the EU or restrict trade in services in which the United States has a surplus with the bloc.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, published a declaration On Saturday, they said the EU “stands in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland.”
He added that he was determined to continue the dialogue following discussions between Denmark, Greenland and senior US officials last week. which ended without a diplomatic breakthrough.
Nevertheless, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Trump’s Tariff Threat Became ‘A Surprise’ following the “constructive meeting” with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The European Union has called an emergency meeting which will take place on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. London time. Reuters reported.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who, like British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, is known to have good relations with Donald Trump, called for composure and continued discussions.
He warned that new tariffs – on top of the 15% tariff on EU exports to the US and the 10% levied on UK exports – would, however, be damaging.
“Among allies, it is best to resolve problems through discussion and not through pressure,” he said the.
“European countries are united. We emphasize the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty. We support Denmark and Greenland. Dialogue with the United States continues. Tariffs would damage transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
“A moderately significant economic problem”Trump’s demands now threaten EU-US relations trade agreement struck in August.
Manfred Weber, a senior member of the European Parliament (MEP), said a trade deal between the EU and the United States was “not possible at this stage”.
Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg Bank, said: “Trump wants to force Denmark and its European backers to sell Greenland to the United States by imposing tariffs. For Europe, this is a serious geopolitical headache and a moderately important economic problem. »
He estimated that an additional 10% levy on products from affected countries could increase U.S. consumer prices by as much as 0.15%. But “in the unlikely event” that the EU-US trade deal is not implemented, “then the damage to US consumers could be almost three times as severe,” Schmieding told CNBC in a note.
Denmark and its European neighbors have made repeated efforts to dissuade Trump from seeking to acquire Greenland, particularly after the president said earlier this month that he would explore all options to acquire the mineral-rich island. including the use of military force.
Trump says the acquisition of Greenland is essential to US national security. He also said U.S. ownership would prevent Russia and China from gaining a foothold in the territory. Beijing and Moscow have slammed Trump’s claims and his desire for Greenland, calling them a “pretext…for selfish gains” And “extraordinary”.
Young people with signs reading “Greenland is not for sale!” participate in a demonstration that brought together nearly a third of the city’s population to protest the US president’s plans to take Greenland, on January 17, 2026 in Nuuk, Greenland, near the US Consulate in Greenland.
Alessandro Rampazzo | Afp | Getty Images
Greenland itself has repeatedly rejected Trump’s advances and, although the majority of its population wants independence from Denmark, according to opinion polls, most Greenlanders would not want to be part of the United States either.
Protests took place in NuukGreenland’s capital, on Saturday, with demonstrators holding signs reiterating the position of the island’s leaders and that of Denmark that “Greenland is not for sale.”
— Spriha Srivastava contributed to this report.
