Overview
- President Donald Trump announced 10% tariffs from Feb. 1 on imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland, rising to 25% on June 1 unless the U.S. secures a purchase of Greenland.
- European leaders condemned the move, expressed full solidarity with Denmark and Greenland, and warned of a “dangerous downward spiral,” with EU ambassadors convening and affected countries signaling a coordinated response.
- Large demonstrations in Nuuk and across Denmark denounced any U.S. takeover, with protesters asserting Greenland’s self-determination and rejecting a sale.
- European governments said recent small troop deployments to Greenland were for a pre-planned Danish exercise and posed no threat, after Trump criticized the activity as a “very dangerous game.”
- Lawmakers in Europe suggested the tariff threat could derail the pending U.S.–EU trade deal, while U.S. legislators from both parties criticized the plan and a pending Supreme Court case could limit the administration’s tariff authority.