Overview
- A 10% tariff on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland is set to begin on February 1, rising to 25% on June 1 until a “complete and total purchase of Greenland” is agreed.
- The European Union called an emergency meeting of its 27 ambassadors as leaders including Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer condemned the plan and signaled a coordinated response.
- Denmark and Greenland reiterated that the island is not for sale, while European military personnel recently sent to Greenland were described by officials as small, Danish-led exercise deployments posing no threat.
- Protesters rallied in Copenhagen and Nuuk against U.S. pressure, as a bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation sought to reassure Danish and Greenlandic officials and senators Chris Coons, Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski criticized the tariff threat.
- Reports indicate the White House has not ruled out military options, intensifying concerns over legal authority, ongoing trade talks with Europe and broader strains in transatlantic relations.