Russia puts the finger on the wound after Donald Trump's threats regarding Greenland. “The transatlantic alliance is over”
Kirill Dmitriev is the economic emissary of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo credit: AA/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia
Russian officials welcomed US President Donald Trump's threats to impose tariffs on NATO allies after they resisted buying Greenland.
Trump said Saturday that Washington would impose 10 percent tariffs starting Feb. 1 on European allies — France, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Finland — until the U.S. reaches a deal to buy Greenland. He threatened to acquire the island “one way or another”.
Kiril Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy, said the move spelled the “collapse” of NATO, according to The Kyiv Independent.
“The transatlantic alliance is over,” Dmitriev wrote on Platform X, mocking European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and warning European leaders not to “provoke” Trump.
The tax level will be increased to 25% from June 1, 2026, if no agreement is reached on the acquisition of the island, the US president said.
He threatened the measure just days after troops from France, Germany and other countries began arriving for exercises in Greenland.
European countries “will be punished”
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, known for his provocative outings, also welcomed Trump's rhetoric, presenting it as evidence of deepening divisions within NATO.
“The US is preparing to attack Greenland, choosing the island itself over Atlantic solidarity,” Medvedev said, adding that European countries would be “punished with tariffs” for relying on US protection.
Medvedev has previously ridiculed Western unity and urged Trump to move quickly to annex Greenland, reflecting Moscow's interest in exploiting rifts between the US and its allies.
Greenland, which has a population of about 56,000, is already home to a US military base and has gained strategic importance as competition in the Arctic intensifies.
Trump's threats and the EU plan
Trump insisted that NATO would become “stronger and more effective” if Greenland were under US control, a claim rejected by European leaders.
The US leader said late on Sunday that Denmark had failed to do anything to remove the “Russian threat” from Greenland and stressed that “the time is now and it will be done”, according to Reuters.
European Union ambassadors reached a general agreement on Sunday to step up efforts to persuade US President Donald Trump to abandon tariffs on European allies, while preparing retaliatory measures if the tariffs are imposed, European diplomats told Reuters.
