Europe stands by Greenland despite threat

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says the growing dispute with the United States over the Danish-controlled Arctic territory of Greenland "is an issue that reaches far beyond our own borders", and has hailed the support the country has received from its European allies.

US President Donald Trump claims the US needs to control the largely unpopulated but mineral-rich territory on national security grounds. On Saturday, he announced that from Feb 1, Denmark and its allies Finland, France, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom — all of which are members of the NATO military alliance — would face "a 10 percent tariff on any and all goods" going to the US, rising to 25 percent from June, which would remain until "such time as a deal is reached for the complete and total purchase of Greenland".

An opinion poll commissioned by the Danish paper Berlingske earlier showed just 6 percent of Greenlanders favor becoming part of the US.

A statement from the sanction-threatened countries said that "tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral", and that they all remain firmly allied with Denmark.

Frederiksen thanked them for their support, adding she was "pleased with the consistent messages from the rest of the continent: Europe will not be blackmailed", and that "it is not we who are seeking conflict".

Senior European voices, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, France's President Emmanuel Macron, and Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz have promised to remain "united, coordinated, and committed" in their response to Washington's latest move, which challenges long-held assumptions about transatlantic ties and friendships.

"No intimidation or threat will influence us — whether in Ukraine, in Greenland, or elsewhere in the world," Macron wrote on social media platform X, adding "tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context".

Even Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a prominent Trump ally, called the tariff threat "a mistake", adding that she had spoken directly to Trump "and told him what I think".

Increased economic tension between Europe and the US would raise serious questions about the future of NATO. Trump has long complained European members do not contribute enough to its budget, compared to the US.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has maintained better relations with Washington than many other European leaders, but has sided with Europe on the Greenland issue, saying "applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong", and that the future of Greenland "is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes".

The deteriorating situation has also been noticed in the US, where prominent Trump opponent Senator Mark Kelly said on social media: "Troops from European countries are arriving in Greenland to defend the territory from us. Let that sink in.

"The damage this president is doing to our reputation and our relationships is growing, making us less safe. If something doesn't change, we will be on our own with adversaries and enemies in every direction."