A group of the United States’ closest European allies stood firm on Jan. 18 against a new round of threats from President Donald Trump in his campaign to try to seize control of Greenland.
Eight NATO nations – including Denmark, of which Greenland is an autonomous territory – slammed Trump’s latest tariffs as «dangerous» to transatlantic relations in a statement. In a Truth Social post on Jan. 17, Trump said the countries will soon have a 10% tariff on all goods sent to the United States, effective Feb. 1.
The tariff is set to increase to 25% on June 1, Trump said, unless a deal is reached for the United States to purchase Greenland from Denmark.
«Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,» the countries said, responding in the joint statement. «We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our response. We are committed to upholding our sovereignty.»
A French diplomat close to the Élysée told USA TODAY that French President Emmanuel Macron floated using the European Union’s anti-coercion instrument against the U.S. as part of numerous exchanges with European leaders. The diplomat said Macron reaffirmed to his counterparts the importance of a firm and coordinated European response.
The anti-coercion instrument allows the European Union to curb imports of goods and services from the bloc, according to France24, and has been dubbed a trade «bazooka.»
Still, the countries said in their public statement that they «stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.»
‘Greenland is not for sale’: Massive protests in Denmark to tell US to keep ‘Hands off Greenland’
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland signed the statement. Representatives of governments from the group are set to attend an emergency European Union meeting on Jan. 18, as Trump’s focus on the Arctic island has strained the 76-year-old NATO alliance.
Trump also criticized the nations’ recent move of sending military personnel to Greenland, at the request of Danish officials, in the face of Trump’s increasing calls to take over the autonomous territory.
Trump has said the United States needs Greenland because its strategic location and vast stores of minerals make it strategically important, casting the island as being at risk from Russia and China. Denmark and many of its NATO and European Union allies have pushed back on this claim, repeating their own commitment to security in the Arctic region.
In his social media post, the president said the nations’ presence in Greenland is a «very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet,» and that they are playing a «very dangerous game.»
The group of European nations appeared to respond to the allegations in their statement. «As members of NATO, we are committed to strengthening Arctic security as a shared transatlantic interest,» they said. «The pre-coordinated Danish exercise ‘Arctic Endurance’ conducted with Allies, responds to this necessity. It poses no threat to anyone.»
On the same day as Trump’s announcement, people in Denmark protested against the U.S. president’s plan and rallied in support of its predominantly Indigenous residents’ rights to self-determination. Many European leaders also expressed their outrage.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, defended the pre-coordinated military exercise with Denmark, echoing the language in the eight nations’ statement.The leaders of two of the United States’ closest allies, France and the United Kingdom, also targeted Trump’s additional tariff plan.
«Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong,» U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in an X post. «We will of course be pursuing this directly with the US administration.»
Macron called the latest tariffs «unacceptable» in a statement on social media posted a few hours after Trump’s, and said Europeans will «respond in a united and coordinated manner» should they be enacted.
«No intimidation or threat will influence us — neither in Ukraine, nor in Greenland, nor anywhere else in the world when we are confronted with such situations,» Macron said.