US President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to buy Greenland by threatening steep tariffs on NATO allies has invited waves of intense scrutiny from European governments. Trump on Saturday announced the imposition of an additional 10% tariff on imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland to force the NATO allies to enter negotiations for his proposed ‘Greenland deal’.
As per Trump’s latest post on his social media platform Truthsocial, the additional tariffs are set to be effective from 1 February 2026. As per the post, these tariffs can later be also escalated to 25% from June 1 if the countries refuse to negotiate the sale of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.
This announcement triggered heavy political backlash from Europe with thousands of Greenlanders taking to the streets in protest. Several political heads of European states also issued statements registering their protest against Trump’s tariff threats.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has dubbed the additional tariffs threatened by the US President as “completely wrong”. “Our position on Greenland is very clear – it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes,” said Starmer, in a statement released by Downing Street.
The development, marks the latest of Trump’s tariff attacks which he has reportedly employed to coerce nations into entering the trade negotiations with US on different subjects. The latest threat marks one of Trump’s most aggressive attempts yet to pressure Europe over the strategically important Arctic island.
Trump’s authority to impose tariffs under scrutiny
Adding to the global tariff uncertainty and frenzy, the US Supreme Court is presently examining whether it should overturn the legal authority Trump has used to threaten tariffs across the world under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
If the court rules against him, Trump may not be able to impose the recently announced levies.
The recently proposed duties however are likely to be imposed on top of existing tariffs, currently 10% on British imports and 15% on imports from the European Union, raising questions about retaliation and the compounding pressure on global trade.
While tariffs are paid by importers, the costs are often passed on to American consumers, complicating the inflation outlook.
What did other NATO allies say?
In a truly ‘Trump fashion of American diplomacy’, the second-time US president has again managed to get on the nerves of the entire European lobby with his proposals similar to his first term. Multiple European leaders issued strong worded responses to Trump’s claims on Saturday and earlier today.
French President Emmanuel Macron described Trump’s threat as “unacceptable”, even as thousands took to the streets in Greenland and Denmark to protest a forced American takeover.
“We will not be swayed by any intimidation,” said Macron. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stressed that European allies won’t be “blackmailed”. Sweden is currently having intensive discussions with other EU [European Union] countries, Norway and the United Kingdom to find a joint response,” he added .
Meanwhile, in a post on X, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law. “Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” she warned.
Why is the US eying Greenland?
In his latest post on TruthSocial, Trump said the tariffs would remain in place “until a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland,” arguing that U.S. control of the island is essential to counter Chinese and Russian ambitions in the Arctic.
Denmark and its European allies have rejected those demands, triggering a rare show of unity among European leaders. In their remarks, European leaders have argued that the Russian threat on the arctic is a joint NATO concern and should be dealt with as such.
“We have also made clear that Arctic Security matters for the whole of NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organisation] and allies should all do more together to address the threat from Russia across different parts of the Arctic,” Starmer said.
Next week, Trump is set to meet von der Leyen and other European leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Greenland is expected to dominate discussions.
(With inputs from PTI)