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8 European countries push back after Trump's tariffs over Greenland, warn of ‘dangerous downward spiral’
The joint statement was made by nations which had been targeted by Trump, who warned of 10 per cent tariffs if they oppose American control of Greenland.
After United States President Donald Trump's tariff warning against those opposing his desire to “buy” Greenland from Denmark, the eight European countries pushed back, saying the threat risks “a dangerous downward spiral.”
The joint statement was made by nations which had been targeted by Trump who warned of 10 per cent tariffs starting February 1, then 25% from June, if they oppose America's desired control of Greenland. Some of them are major US allies otherwise.
The countries include Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland, the Associated Press reported.
They stated that the troops sent to Greenland for the Danish military training exercise ‘Arctic Endurance’ did not pose a threat to anyone. European countries had earlier this week sent small numbers of military personnel to Greenland, meant to help Denmark prepare military exercises, Reuters news agency reported.
Trump had on Saturday indicated that he could use tariffs as leverage to force talks on Greenland, according to AP. However, the European countries have on Sunday expressed “full solidarity” towards the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland.
“Building on the process begun last week, we stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind,” they said in a statement. “Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” AP cited the nations as saying.
Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that tariffs could “risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity”, while asserting that the concerns regarding Greenland's security could be addressed inside NATO. Both Denmark and the self-ruled territory of Greenland are part of NATO.
Trump, while making his bid to control the mineral-rich island public, had claimed that the US needs Greenland for “national security” reasons, and alleged that China and Russia are attempting to control the region. The US President had raised the idea of buying Greenland first in 2019, but had called it a “a large real estate deal” which could help Denmark manage its finances.
Trump's allies call US proposal ‘mistake’, ‘unacceptable’
The idea of US control over Greenland has drawn criticism from Trump's populist allies in Europe, including Italian President Giorgia Meloni and her French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
Meloni on Sunday said she had spoken to Trump on the tariff threat, calling it “a mistake.” The Italian President said the deployment of small numbers of troops to Greenland had been misunderstood by Washington, according to AP, and said it had been done to provide security against “other actors.”
French President Emmanuel Macron asserted that “no intimidation or threats” would work, “whether in Ukraine, Greenland or anywhere else in the world when we are faced with such situations.” In a post on social media, Macron said the tariff threat was “unacceptable and have no place in this context.”
