Trump announces 10% tariff on eight European countries for opposing U.S. control of Greenland

In the latest of a series of moves to acquire Greenland, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced tariffs on European and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) allies, despite having negotiated trade deals with the U.K. and the European Union in 2025. The announcement, which the President made on the Truth Social media site, applies to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland.

Mr. Trump said the countries would pay a 10% tariff on their exports to the U.S. starting February 1. The rate would go up to 25% from June 2026.

“This Tariff will be due and payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland,” Mr. Trump wrote.

Last week, the countries in question sent a handful of troops to Greenland at Denmark’s request, in the face of escalating threats from Mr. Trump — an event Mr. Trump alluded to in his post. Greenland, a mineral-rich Arctic island, is a self-governing territory of Denmark, which is a member of the NATO alliance.

He said the countries “have journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown” and that it was “a very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet [sic]“.

The countries’ actions had increased the risk to a unsustainable and untenable level, Mr. Trump claimed, saying global peace and security were at stake.

Germany had noted Mr. Trump’s statement and was in close consultation with its European partners, a German government spokesperson told The Hindu via email. The countries would together decide on their response, the spokesperson told The Hindu.

In his post, Mr. Trump alleged that Russia and China wanted the Arctic island and that there was nothing Denmark could do to defend it.

“They [Denmark] currently have two dogsleds as protection, one added recently,” he wrote, adding that only the U.S. was capable of securing Greenland.

Russia and China are not considered threats to Greenland as of now, Major General Søren Andersen, commander of Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command said in a media interview published on Saturday (January 16). On Thursday (January 14), a spokesperson for the Russian government rejected the notion the Beijing and Moscow had plans to occupy Greenland.

The leaders of France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, Denmark, and the U.K. had said in a January 6 statement that the security of Greenland must be achieved collectively in conjunction with NATO allies including the U.S. The future of Greenland is for its people and Denmark alone to decide, the countries said.

Last week’s small European force in Greenland would be reinforced with “land, air and sea assets” , French President Emmanuel Macron had said. The European countries have explained the move as an attempt to show Mr. Trump that NATO and Europe are serious about Greenland’s defence.

The Foreign Ministers of Denmark and Greenland met U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington last week. While the U.S. position remained unchanged as per the Danish Foreign Minister, the officials had agreed to to discuss the matter further via a working group. Separately, a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers met officials in Copenhagen on Friday (January 14), to reassure Denmark and Greenland that they supported the island’s current status.