Donald Trump has vowed to 100% follow through on his threat to impose tariffs on European countries who oppose his demand to take control of Greenland.
European allies have rallied around Greenland's sovereignty, with Denmark's foreign minister emphasising the US president cannot threaten his way to ownership of the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper reiterated that the future of Greenland rests with Greenlanders and for the Danes alone to decide.
On Monday, Trump declined to rule out the use of force and insisted he would press ahead with the threatened tariffs on goods arriving in the US from the UK and seven other NATO-aligned countries.
Asked by NBC News if he would use force to seize Greenland, Trump stated: No comment. He specified that he would impose a 10% tariff on any and all goods sent to the US from these nations starting February 1, escalating to 25% from June 1 if a deal to purchase Greenland was not reached.
This would apply to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Finland—all NATO members founded in 1949. When asked if he would carry out the tariff threat, Trump responded: I will, 100%.
Trump remarked, Europe ought to focus on the war with Russia and Ukraine, implying that such matters were more pressing than Greenland.
Denmark has warned that US military action in Greenland could jeopardize NATO, and European nations have provided military support to Greenland.
Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen stated that Europe must show President Trump that economic threats were not the way forward. He emphasised, You can't threaten your way to ownership of Greenland. I have no intention of escalating this situation.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte assured continued collaboration with Denmark and Greenland on Arctic security, while the EU plans an emergency summit to strategize a response to Trump's threats.
Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief, stated the bloc has no inclination to provoke conflict but will stand firm, asserting that trade threats are not the way to go about this and that sovereignty is not for trade.
