Trump Threatens 10% Tariffs on European Goods Over Greenland

Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced escalating tariffs on goods from eight European countries tied explicitly to his renewed push to acquire Greenland.

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The duties will apply to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the U.K., the Netherlands and Finland.

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He said the duties would start at 10% from Feb. 1, could rise to 25% by June 1, and would remain in place until a "complete and total purchase of Greenland" or a favorable deal was reached.

The announcement, which he posted on social media and repeated at events, was framed by Trump as a national-security measure aimed at blocking rival powers' influence in the Arctic and revived his 2019 idea of buying Greenland.

European leaders and institutions reacted with rapid, unified condemnation, calling the tariff threats unacceptable, coercive and damaging to transatlantic relations.

EU officials convened emergency talks, including closed-door ambassador meetings and consideration of an extraordinary summit, and senior figures pledged solidarity with Denmark and Greenland while warning the move would undermine international law, trade cooperation and NATO cohesion.

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European officials and analysts warned of concrete trade and legal countermeasures.

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Those measures could include invoking the EU's Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI).

They also mentioned reviving previously suspended retaliatory tariffs on roughly €93 billion ($108 billion) of U.S. goods.

Another option was pausing ratification of nascent U.S.-EU trade understandings.

Several governments and parliamentary figures framed the U.S. move as economic blackmail that could prompt calibrated or blunt reprisals.

Others urged caution to avoid a full-blown trade war.

Copenhagen reaffirmed sovereignty and rejected any sale or forced transfer.

Greenlanders held protests in Nuuk and elsewhere.

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Both governments pressed for respect for territorial integrity and local self-determination.

Denmark's leaders called the threats unacceptable and coordinated closely with EU partners.

Greenlandic officials and citizens emphasized the human and democratic implications of being discussed as an asset to be bought.

Observers warned the episode both reflected and magnified broader strategic competition in the Arctic.

“European leaders and experts sharply condemned former President Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on allies over a dispute tied to Greenland, saying it would deepen transatlantic divisions and ultimately benefit geopolitical rivals such as China and Russia”

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U.S. officials framed Greenland as vital to national security to deter Russia and China, while European leaders cautioned that coercive U.S. economic measures risked fracturing alliance unity and even handing advantage to rivals.

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Commentators noted domestic U.S. legal and political limits, including bipartisan Congressional moves to block any forcible seizure or unauthorized use of military force, and questioned whether tariffs conditioned on a 'purchase' of foreign territory are legally or politically tenable.