US President Donald Trump on Saturday said he would charge a 10% import tax on goods from eight European countries from February. Trump said the reason behind the latest tariffs is the opposition of these nations to US control of Greenland.
Trump said that Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland would face the tariff. He added that the tariff would be raised to 25% on June 1 if a deal is not in place for “the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland” by the United States.
“[These countries have] journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown,” Trump said, adding, “This is a very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our planet.”
‘Anything less than US control of Denmark is unacceptable’
The move comes days after Trump declared that anything short of American control over Greenland is “unacceptable”, intensifying an already fraught geopolitical dispute over the Arctic territory.
Trump, who has made repeated assertions to acquire Greenland, has argued that Greenland is indispensable for the United States’ national security and urged the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to back US efforts to gain control of the vast Arctic island.
He wrote that with Greenland “in the hands of the United States,” NATO would be “far more formidable and effective,” and said anything less would be “unacceptable.”
Legislation introduced in US Congress to stop annexation of Greenland
Bipartisan US senators introduced the NATO Unity Protection Act to block President Trump from annexing Greenland or any NATO ally’s territory without authorisation.
Sponsored by Democrat Jeanne Shaheen (New Hampshire) and Republican Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), the bill prohibits Department of Defense and State Department funds from supporting any blockade, occupation, annexation, or control over NATO member lands.
Russia and China’s stance on the Greenland row
The Russian government recently remarked that it was unacceptable for the West to accuse Moscow and Beijing for the US claim on the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
“First they came up with the idea that there were some aggressors, and then that they were ready to protect someone from these aggressors,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, referring to West’s actions on Greenland.
China, on the other hand, has said its activities in the Arctic are “in line with international law” and focus on “peace, stability, and sustainable development.”
The US had accused both these countries of conspiring to gain access of the Arctic island.