EU and UK Accuse Trump of Blackmail Over 10% Greenland Tariff

Former US president Donald Trump posted on Truth Social announcing he would impose a 10% tariff from Feb. 1 on imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland, rising to 25% on June 1.

He said the duties would remain 'until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland' and framed the move as tied to a bid to buy the Danish territory and to alleged security threats.

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The announcement repeated Trump’s long-running interest in acquiring Greenland and linked the tariff ultimatum to concerns about Chinese and Russian activity in the Arctic.

Several outlets report he described the duties as punitive toward countries opposing a US purchase.

European leaders reacted swiftly and angrily, calling EU ambassadors to an emergency meeting and warning that the measures would harm transatlantic ties and prompt a coordinated response.

The European Commission and Council leadership, along with national leaders including UK prime minister Keir Starmer and France's Emmanuel Macron, publicly rejected economic coercion and framed Greenland's future as a matter for Greenlanders and Denmark.

ANI News

Several outlets noted officials described the tariff threat as damaging to existing negotiations and as risking a 'dangerous downward spiral' in relations.

The tariff threat prompted mass protests in Greenland and Denmark.

“President Trump threatened to impose tariffs on eight U”

BBC

Several sources reported thousands marching in Nuuk and Danish cities, with Greenland's prime minister joining at least one rally, and demonstrators chanting 'Greenland is not for sale' while wearing anti-annexation gear such as 'Make America Go Away' caps.

Local civil-society leaders described the episode as an affront to Greenlandic self-determination, warned against external coercion, and said the US plan was 'illegal' in some cases.

Analysts and legal commentators highlighted questions about the legality and practicality of unilateral US tariff threats.

RTE noted the lack of published legal authority for the proposed measures and warned such unilateral threats could jeopardize approval prospects for negotiated trade arrangements.

BBC

Other outlets pointed to likely economic fallout for Europe and expressed skepticism about whether the announcement reflects a credible policy rather than rhetorical pressure.

Some reports explicitly called the move a punitive bargaining tactic rather than a settled policy.

Several outlets flagged officials describing the announcement as a surprising and destabilizing escalation.

Observers warned the episode could have longer-term consequences for NATO cooperation, Arctic security and transatlantic trade politics.

“The intervention follows a statement by Donald Trump, who said theUnited States would introduce a 10 per cent tariffon goods from the UK and seven European countries from 1 February”

Business Matters

Mainstream outlets framed the tariff threat as risking damage to US-EU ties and to negotiations on trade.

Business Matters

Local voices in Greenland framed the tariff threat as an assault on self-determination and on human-rights rhetoric around the Arctic.

Analysts warned that treating allies unevenly could undermine broader European support for deals previously negotiated with the US.

Several sources connected the dispute to the island's strategic value as the Arctic opens and to prior US comments about Greenland acquisition.