The day before, the head of the White House announced, starting February 1, a 10% tariff on any goods supplied to the United States by eight NATO countries – Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK. And from June 1, these duties will be increased to 25%, Trump indicated. According to him, they will act until an agreement is reached on the “full and final purchase of Greenland” by the United States.
The countries that Trump threatened with tariffs said that such actions by the American president undermine transatlantic relations.
“As NATO members, we are committed to strengthening security in the Arctic as a common transatlantic interest. The pre-coordinated Danish Arctic Endurance exercise, conducted jointly with allies, meets this need. It poses no threat to anyone,” the statement said. “We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland. Building on the process that began last week, we are ready to engage in dialogue – based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. We We firmly defend these principles.”
As NATO allies stressed, “threats of tariffs undermine transatlantic relations and create a risk of escalation.”
“We will continue to present a united front and coordinate our response. We are committed to defending our sovereignty,” the statement said.
Context
Trump has repeatedly said that the United States must get control over Greenland (an autonomous territory of Denmark), otherwise it will allegedly be captured by China and the Russian Federation. He also said that the US could use military force to take over Greenland.
On January 13, Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said that between the United States and Denmark, the country chooses Denmark and “does not want” to belong to, be part of, or be governed by the United States.
Against the backdrop of statements by the American president, a number of countries, including Denmark, Germany, France, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, UK, sent military personnel to Greenland for reconnaissance purposes in preparation for military exercises. In response to this, on January 17, Trump announced the introduction duties for a number of European countries.
On January 18, the media wrote that the German military received an order to urgently leave Greenland.
