Europe warns of Trump’s tariff threat over Greenland dispute

लगानी न्यूज

५ माघ २०८२, सोमबार १५:०४January 19, 2026

. WASHINGTON (AP) — Europe has slammed U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 10% tariffs on eight European countries over U.S. control of Greenland, warning it could undermine transatlantic ties and push them into a “dangerous deterioration”.

Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland said in a joint statement on Sunday that Trump’s actions were a dangerous sign of deepening tensions over sovereignty and security.TAG_OPEN_div_42 It was the strongest collective response yet by European allies to Trump, nearly a year after he returned to the White House.

In recent months, European countries have been diplomatically restrained in Trump’s efforts to shore up U.S. support for efforts to end the war in Ukraine.TAG_OPEN_div_40 But Sunday’s statement, coupled with the dispatch of troops by some European countries to Denmark’s military exercises in Greenland, signalled a step back from that strategy.

The joint statement clarified that the troops sent to Greenland for the Arctic Endurance exercise do not pose a threat to anyone. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told reporters in Oslo that talks with the US side had already started and would continue. Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth-Eide said such tax threats were “unacceptable” among close allies.

Six of the eight countries targeted by

are members of the 27-member European Union (EU). After emergency talks on Sunday, EU Council President Antonio Costa said the tariffs would undermine transatlantic ties and are incompatible with the EU-US trade deal. He said the EU was ready to defend itself against any form of coercion and that a summit would be called this week.

On Saturday, Trump hinted that he could use the tariffs as a tool of pressure in negotiations over Greenland, Denmark’s semi-autonomous region.TAG_OPEN_div_34 In a social media post on Sunday night, he said NATO had warned Denmark for years about the Russian threat in Greenland and that it was time to take action.

European leaders expressed “full solidarity” with Denmark and Greenland and said they were ready for dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.TAG_OPEN_div_32 EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned that China and Russia could take advantage of the US-EU divide, adding that Greenland’s security could be addressed within NATO.

According to analysts, Trump’s threat is unprecedented because tariffs are often linked to trade disputes rather than regional issues between allies.TAG_OPEN_div_30 Rasmus Sondergaard, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, attributed the European reaction to “enough is enough”.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he had spoken to Trump and hoped to meet in Davos this week.TAG_OPEN_div_28 British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also told Trump that it was wrong to impose tariffs on NATO allies.

TAG_OPEN_div_26 Trump’s move has also been criticized within the United States. Senator Mark Kelly, Democrat of Arizona, said it would force Americans to pay an unfair price. Former Vice President Mike Pence sympathized with the idea of US ownership of Greenland but expressed grave concern about Trump’s approach and the impact on relations with NATO allies.

In Europe, some of Trump’s populist allies have also criticized the tax threats.TAG_OPEN_div_24 Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called it a “mistake”, while Jordan Bardella, leader of France’s far-right National Rally party, called it “commercial blackmail”. Even in Britain, the main political parties have united in opposing Trump’s move.

This development clearly signals that U.S.-Europe relations have entered a new and sensitive juncture, with Greenland at the center.TAG_OPEN_div_22