US President Donald Trump has promised to steadily increase tariffs on European countries that oppose Greenland’s acquisition, escalating the dispute over Denmark’s semi-autonomous territory, which Trump has long coveted.
So what’s behind President Trump’s bid to take control of Greenland, the world’s largest island, and how are Washington’s NATO allies responding?
What is Trump’s tariff threat on Greenland?
Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday that he has subsidized Denmark and other European Union countries by not imposing tariffs.
“After centuries, it’s time for Denmark to return the favor. World peace is at stake! China and Russia want Greenland, and there’s nothing Denmark can do about it.”
“The national security of the United States and the entire world is at stake,” Trump added.
President Trump wrote that starting February 1, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland will impose a 10% tariff on all exports to the United States.
Tariffs are scheduled to rise to 25% on June 1st. “These tariffs must be paid until there is an agreement on the full and comprehensive purchase of Greenland,” President Trump wrote.
Trump also wrote, “The United States has been trying to make this deal for more than 150 years. Many presidents have tried, and for good reason, but Denmark has always refused.”
Is Trump the first US president to seek control of Greenland?
Danish and Greenlandic leaders have consistently maintained that Greenland is not for sale. In recent days, Greenlanders have been protesting President Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland. However, Trump has been pushing for the acquisition of Arctic territory since his first term, and is not the first US president to push for such a purchase.
After purchasing Alaska from Russia in 1867, then-Secretary of State William H. Seward unsuccessfully attempted to purchase Greenland. During World War II, after Germany invaded Denmark, the United States occupied Greenland and built military and radio facilities there. It is currently stationed permanently at the Pitufik Cosmodrome in the northwest.
In 1946, when Greenland was still a Danish colony, President Harry S. Truman secretly offered Denmark $100 million for Greenland, but Copenhagen refused. This proposal was first published in 1991.
Polls show Americans do not support Washington’s acquisition of Greenland. A Reuters/Ipsos poll of U.S. residents conducted this week showed fewer than one in five respondents supported the idea of acquiring Greenland.
Why does Trump want Greenland?
The island’s location and natural resources make it strategically important to Washington.
Greenland is geographically part of North America and is located between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean. It is home to 56,000 people, most of whom are indigenous Inuit.
Greenland’s capital Nuuk is closer to New York City, approximately 2,900 km (1,800 miles) away, than Denmark’s capital Copenhagen, 3,500 km (2,174 miles) to the east.
It is a NATO territory that passes through Denmark, and is an EU-related overseas territory whose residents have EU citizenship.
This location provides the shortest air and sea routes between North America and Europe, making it strategically vital for U.S. military operations and missile early warning systems. The U.S. government is also seeking increased radar coverage around the gap in Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom to monitor Russian and Chinese movements.
Greenland is rich in minerals, including most of the EU’s “critical raw materials”, but there is no oil or gas extraction, and many indigenous people oppose large-scale extraction. The economy depends primarily on fishing.
As climate change opens up the Arctic further, major countries such as the United States, Canada, China and Russia are increasingly interested in its untapped resources.
How did Europe respond to President Trump’s tariff threat?
All 27 EU member states are scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss how to respond to Trump’s threats.
“Our position on Greenland is very clear: Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and its future is a matter for Greenlanders and Danes,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a post on X on Saturday.
“It is completely wrong to apply tariffs to our NATO allies in pursuit of their collective security. Of course we will pursue this directly with the U.S. government.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also told XPost: “The EU stands in full solidarity with the peoples of Denmark and Greenland. Dialogue remains essential and we are committed to building on the process already started last week between the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States.”
“Tariffs risk damaging transatlantic relations and sending us into a dangerous downward spiral. Europe will remain united, aligned and committed to defending our sovereignty.”
European Council President Antonio Costa shared the same post as von der Leyen on his X account.
“China and Russia must be in a tizzy. They are the ones who benefit from the division between their allies,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kalas wrote on X.
Karas added: “Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermining the prosperity we share.”
“What he’s doing is blackmail… and there’s no need for it. It doesn’t help the alliance (NATO) and it doesn’t help Greenland,” Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel said in an interview on Dutch television on Sunday.
