Representatives of European countries on Saturday rejected threats by US President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on eight European countries, if the question of the acquisition of Greenland by the United States is not resolved. According to the President of the European Council, António Costa, the European Union will strongly respond to them. French President Emmanuel Macron called them unacceptable, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called them “totally ridiculous”. TASR informs about it with reference to the AFP agency, Sky News television, Le Figaro newspaper and Politico portal.
- European leaders rejected Trump’s threats of tariffs for not resolving the Greenland issue.
- Trump threatened tariffs on goods from eight European countries.
- The EU and its representatives described the threats as unacceptable and promised a unified response.
- Macron and Starmer emphasized support for sovereignty and security in the Arctic.
- Sweden and Denmark rejected the pressure, they attribute the decision-making on Greenland to the Danes and Greenlanders.
Costa criticized Trump’s tactics as a threat to “prosperity” and he said that markets should be opened and not closed.
“The European Union will always and everywhere resolutely defend international law, starting of course with the territory of its member states,” said Costa in the Paraguayan capital of Asunción, where on Saturday together with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen signed a landmark trade agreement between the EU and the Mercosur grouping of South American states. He added that he is coordinating the joint response of EU member states on this issue.
In response, Ursula von der Leyen said that The tariffs announced by Trump would undermine transatlantic relations. She emphasized that “Europe will remain united, coordinated and determined to defend its sovereignty.”
“No amount of intimidation or threats will affect us, not in Ukraine, not in Greenland, not anywhere else in the world when we are confronted with such situations,” wrote Macron in a post on Platform X. According to him, threats of tariffs are unacceptable and have no place in this context. “If they are confirmed, Europeans will react to them in a unified and coordinated manner,” stated the head of the Elysee Palace.
Macron went on to say that France is committed to the sovereignty and independence of nations in Europe and elsewhere in the world, and this principle guides its decisions. “It is fundamental to our commitment to the United Nations and its Charter. For this reason, we will continue to support Ukraine. We have formed a coalition of the willing to ensure a stable and lasting peace to defend these principles and our security. For this reason, we also decided to join the exercise initiated by Denmark in Greenland. We stand behind this decision. It is also because the security of the Arctic and the borders of Europe is at stake,” Macron said. He added that he would speak to France’s European partners in this vein.
Responding to Trump’s threat, Starmer said London’s position on Greenland was clear – “it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and its future is a matter for Greenlanders and Danes”. “We have made it clear that the security of the Arctic is important to all of NATO and that the Allies should do more together to deal with the threat from Russia in different parts of the Arctic,” Starmer said. He called Trump’s move “completely misguided” and said he would speak directly to the US government about it.
According to Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Sweden will not be intimidated by Donald Trump’s threats to impose tariffs. “We will not be intimidated. Only Denmark and Greenland decide matters that concern them. I will always defend my country and our neighboring allies.” Kristersson told AFP.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lökke Rasmussen said he was surprised by Trump’s move toward the eight European countries. “The goal of strengthening the military presence in Greenland, which the president talks about, is precisely to increase security in the Arctic,” Rasmussen stated for the AFP agency, who together with the Greenlandic foreign minister discussed Greenland on Wednesday in Washington with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In an extensive post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump announced that imposes an initial ten percent tariff on eight European countries from February 1, rising to 25 percent from June 1 if the US acquisition of Greenland is not resolved. He wants to impose tariffs on all goods coming into the United States from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Finland.
