Europeans reeling as Trump threatens tariffs on 8 countries over Greenland dispute
Europeans were in shock on Sunday by President Trump’s speech announcement that eight countries will face 10% tariffs to oppose US control of Greenland.
Reactions to Mr. Trump’s decision ranged from saying it risked “leading to a dangerous downward spiral” to predicting that “China and Russia should have a field day.”
Mr. Trump’s threat poses a potentially dangerous test for American partnerships in Europe. Several European countries have sent troops to Greenland in recent days, saying they were there to train for Arctic security. Mr Trump’s announcement came on Saturday as thousands of Greenlanders wrapped up a protest outside the US consulate in the capital, Nuuk.
The Republican president appeared to indicate that he was using the tariffs as leverage to force negotiations with Denmark and other European countries over the status of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark that he considers critical to US national security. Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland would face these tariffs.
The eight countries issued a joint statement on Sunday: “As NATO members, we are committed to strengthening security in the Arctic as a common transatlantic interest. The pre-coordinated Danish exercise ‘Arctic Endurance’, conducted with the Allies, responds to this need. It does not pose a threat to anyone.”
The statement added: “We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland. Building on the process started last week, we are ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we strongly support.
Kristian Tuxen Ladegaard Berg/NurPhoto via Getty Images 
Immediate questions arise about how the White House might attempt to implement the tariffs, as the EU is a single economic zone in terms of trade. Norway and the United Kingdom are not part of the 27-member EU, and it was not immediately clear whether Mr. Trump’s tariffs would impact the entire bloc.
It is also unclear how Mr. Trump might act under U.S. law, although he could cite emergency economic powers that are currently subject to a Challenge before the Supreme Court.
GOP Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” Sunday, “even if he is found to have tariff authority, I do not believe he has the ability to impose tariffs in an effort to force other countries to sell off United States land for the purpose of our expansion.”
Turner added that “they’re not just casual allies.”
“Of the other allies he’s talking about imposing tariffs on, seven of them are F-35 partners, three of them have U.S. nuclear weapons on their soil and five of them have standing troops on their soil,” Turner said. “They are very strong allies.”
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said China and Russia would benefit from divisions between the United States and Europe. She added in a social media post: “If Greenland’s security is threatened, we can address it within NATO. Tariffs risk impoverishing Europe and the United States and jeopardizing our common prosperity. »
Mr. Trump’s decision was also criticized domestically.
Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on “Face the Nation” On Sunday, “the one country that frankly benefits the most from this chaos is both Russia and China.”
“There is currently no threat to Greenland’s security from Russia or China,” Warner said. “The only threat to Greenland’s security right now is the United States.”
Senator Mark Kelly, a former US Navy pilot and Democrat who represents Arizona, said Mr Trump’s threats of tariffs on US allies would force Americans to “pay more to try to get territory we don’t need”.
“Troops from European countries are arriving in Greenland to defend the territory against us. Let him understand,” he wrote on
Mr. Trump wrote on social media on Sunday evening that “NATO has been telling Denmark for 20 years that the Russian threat must be removed from Greenland.” Unfortunately, Denmark could not do anything about this. Now is the time, and it will be done!!!”
A CBS News Poll released Sunday revealed broad opposition among Americans to purchasing Greenland or taking it by military force. Seventy percent said they would oppose using federal funds to purchase the territory, and 86 percent said they would oppose its military seizure.
The announcement of the tariffs even sparked negative reactions from Mr. Trump’s populist allies in Europe.
Right-wing Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, considered one of Mr. Trump’s closest allies on the continent, said on Sunday that she had spoken to him about the tariffs, which she called a “mistake.”
The deployment of a small number of troops by some European countries to Greenland was misunderstood by Washington, Meloni told reporters during a two-day visit to South Korea. She said the deployment was not a measure against the United States but was aimed at ensuring security against “other actors” she did not name.
Jordan Bardella, president of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally in France and also a member of the European Parliament, said the EU should suspend last year’s tariff deal with the United States, calling Mr Trump’s threats “trade blackmail”.
Mr Trump also achieved the rare feat of uniting Britain’s main political parties – including the far-right Reform UK – who have all criticized the tariff threat.
“We don’t always agree with the US government and in this case we certainly don’t. These tariffs will hurt us,” British reformist leader Nigel Farage, a longtime defender and ally of Mr. Trump, wrote on social media. He did not criticize Mr. Trump’s plans for Greenland.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who leads the center-left Labor Party, said the tariff announcement was “completely wrong” and that his government would “pursue this directly with the US administration.”
