Brussels/Copenhagen, Jan 18 — Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Britain issued a unified statement Sunday expressing “full solidarity” with Greenland, directly challenging US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats over his renewed push to control the strategic Arctic island.
Just one day after Trump announced 10% tariffs on their US imports starting February 1—escalating to 25% by June 1 unless Denmark sells Greenland—the European allies warned of a “dangerous downwards spiral” that could fracture decades of transatlantic cooperation.
Trump justified the pressure campaign by citing urgent national security needs, including his “Golden Dome” missile defense system to counter growing Chinese and Russian presence in the Arctic. This marks a revival of his 2019 annexation proposal, which Denmark rejected outright.
The joint declaration underscores rare trans-European alignment amid NATO tensions, particularly over recent European troop deployments to Greenland’s strategic bases. EU Parliament has now paused ratification of a key US trade deal, while post-Brexit UK faces special risks—Prime Minister Keir Starmer already condemned the tariffs as “completely wrong.”
Greenland’s leadership maintains a firm position: “Not for sale,” emphasizing fundamental disagreements with US negotiators over the island’s future and lucrative rare earth mineral deposits.
Financial markets reacted nervously to the tariff timeline, with European exporters bracing for immediate hits on autos, machinery, and pharmaceuticals headed to America. Trump’s Truth Social post framed it bluntly: Denmark must “give back what belongs to the world” for global peace.
This clash revives America’s 150-year pursuit of Greenland influence, blending resource competition, military strategy, and trade warfare in the melting Arctic frontier.
