European countries rally against US tariff over Greenland

Brussels: The transatlantic rift over Greenland deepened remarkably on Sunday as Europe mounted a rare, unified rebuke to punitive tariff threats from US President Donald Trump.

In the strongest coordinated response so far, the eight countries directly targeted by the proposed tariffs — Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom — issued a joint statement declaring “full solidarity” with Denmark and Greenland, Xinhua news agency reported.

They warned the US move risked a “dangerous downward spiral” in transatlantic relations and vowed a “united and coordinated” response to uphold sovereignty.

European Council President Antonio Costa said on X that the European Union (EU) is “ready to defend itself against any form of coercion” in response to Trump’s tariff threats.

National reactions were swift and unequivocal, with European leaders and ministers branding the US threat coercive and unacceptable. Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel explicitly called the tariffs an act of “blackmail,” urging Washington to withdraw the “ridiculous proposal” before it takes effect. German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said Berlin “must not allow itself to be intimidated,” adding that “a line has been crossed.”

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen posted on social media that “Europe will not be blackmailed.” Underscoring the universal support for Denmark, she said this is now “an issue that reaches far beyond our own borders.”

Momentum to push back was gathered at the EU level. Valerie Hayer, president of the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament, urged EU leaders to activate the bloc’s never-used “Anti-Coercion Instrument,” dubbed an “economic nuclear weapon.” The mechanism would allow immediate retaliation, including punitive tariffs, market bans, financial sanctions, and the suspension of US patents and licences, without recourse to the United Nations or the World Trade Organization.

Noting that the United States exports more than $500 billion of goods to the EU each year, making the bloc Washington’s largest market, Hayer warned that Trump “should think twice,” stressing that the EU is “not afraid to use deterrence for our defense.”

On Sunday night, a report by Financial Times said that EU capitals are considering hitting Washington with 93 billion euros ($107.68 billion) worth of tariffs or reviving the “Anti-Coercion Instrument.”

Describing the tariffs as “unacceptable,” French President Emmanuel Macron’s office also confirmed that the president would request the same course of action if Washington follows through on its threat.

After meeting his Norwegian counterpart, Espen Barth Eide, in Oslo, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he had “no doubt about the support from Europe,” even in the face of a costly tariff war. “We must do everything we can to implement the principles,” Rasmussen added. Meanwhile, Eide said, “We will not yield to pressure.”

Beyond the directly targeted states, other European countries joined the criticism of the US move. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaking during a visit to South Korea, called the tariff threats “a mistake.”

After separate calls on Sunday with Denmark Prime Minister Frederiksen, the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, as well as Trump, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer repeated that it is wrong to apply tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies.

Earlier on Saturday, Starmer said Britain’s 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,” branding the US threat “completely wrong.”

Ireland’s Foreign Minister Helen McEntee emphasized the fundamental principles of the UN Charter. “There can be no lasting peace and security in a world where these principles are ignored and undermined,” she said.

The Croatian government said allies should respect each other and acknowledge the fact that Greenland is part of Denmark. “In this context, we express our solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland,” it said, adding that additional tariffs would upset the balance of EU-US trade relations and weaken the trans-Atlantic partnership.

The unified European pushback sets the stage for a potential escalation. With calls to arm the EU’s economic “bazooka” and repeated warnings against blackmail, Europe has signaled an unusually firm willingness to risk a tit-for-tat economic confrontation over Greenland’s sovereignty.

Since returning to the Oval Office in 2025, Trump has repeatedly voiced a desire to “obtain” Greenland and has recently ramped up his threat. In a social media post on Saturday, he said the United States would levy a 10-per cent tariff from February 1 on goods from the eight targeted countries. He warned the rate would rise to 25 per cent on June 1 and remain in place until a deal is reached for the “complete and total purchase” of Greenland.

IANS