BRUSSELS, Belgium — A threat by US President Donald Trump to impose sweeping new tariffs on European allies opposing his proposed takeover of Greenland has triggered sharp condemnation across Europe, escalating tensions between Washington and its Nato partners.
Trump announced that a 10pc tariff on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland would take effect on February 1, with the levy rising to 25pc by June unless a deal is reached on what he described as the “complete and total purchase of Greenland”.
The move prompted the European Union to convene an emergency meeting of ambassadors from its 27 member states in Brussels, as concerns mounted over transatlantic trade relations and regional security.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the tariff threat as “completely wrong,” arguing that penalising allies for pursuing collective Nato security undermines the alliance itself.
“Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of Nato allies is completely wrong. We will be pursuing this directly with the US administration,” Starmer said.
French President Emmanuel Macron was equally blunt, calling the threats “unacceptable” and warning against intimidation.
“We will not be swayed by any form of pressure,” Macron said.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson echoed the sentiment, saying Europe would not submit to coercion.
“We won’t let ourselves be blackmailed,” Kristersson said, adding that Sweden was holding intensive consultations with EU partners, Norway and the UK to coordinate a joint response.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that the dispute risked destabilising international norms.
“Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law. Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” she said.
The tariffs were announced amid renewed US pressure over Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory with vast natural resources and strategic importance in the Arctic. Trump has repeatedly argued that Greenland is critical to US security and has refused to rule out the use of force.
European governments have rejected that position, insisting that Greenland’s future can only be determined by its people, and that Arctic security should remain a collective Nato responsibility.
In recent days, France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, and the UK have deployed small military contingents to Greenland on what they describe as a reconnaissance and reassurance mission.
The announcement has also complicated an already fragile EU-US trade deal, agreed last year but not yet ratified. German MEP Manfred Weber, leader of the European Parliament’s conservative EPP group, said Trump’s threats made approval impossible at this stage.
“The 0 per cent tariffs on US products must be put on hold,” Weber said.
Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that the standoff was playing into the hands of rival powers.
“China and Russia must be having a field day. They benefit from divisions among allies,” she said.
In Greenland and Denmark, thousands of protesters took to the streets over the weekend, carrying placards reading “Greenland is not for sale” and “Hands off Greenland”. Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen joined demonstrators in Nuuk, reinforcing opposition to any US takeover.
Opinion polls indicate that 85 per cent of Greenlanders oppose joining the United States.
Despite the backlash, Trump defended the tariffs on his Truth Social platform, accusing European countries of playing “a very dangerous game” and framing the dispute as essential to the “safety, security, and survival of our planet”.
The escalation comes just days after US and Danish officials agreed to establish a high-level working group on Greenland’s future — a move previously seen as a potential de-escalation pathway.
Instead, Trump’s tariff threat has injected fresh urgency into the crisis, straining relations with key Nato allies as European leaders prepare to confront the issue directly at the World Economic Forum in Davos later this week.
