US President Donald Trump has announced tariffs on imports from Denmark and seven other European countries, saying the measures will remain in force until an agreement is reached on the “purchase” of Greenland. The decision applies to all goods imported into the United States from the affected nations in response to their position on the future of the Arctic territory. Trump made the announcement on his social network Truth Social, according to The WP Times.
The US president argued that for many years the United States had subsidised Denmark, as well as countries across the European Union and beyond. He claimed that now, when it was time for Denmark to return the favour, Copenhagen was unable to protect Greenland.
“Right now they have only two dog sleds as a means of defence, one of which was added recently. Only the United States of America under the leadership of PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP can play this game — and do it very successfully!” Trump wrote.
He also accused several European countries of sending representatives to Greenland “with unknown purposes,” warning that their actions had created “a level of risk that is unacceptable and unsustainable.” As a result, Trump announced a 10% tariff on all goods imported into the United States from the following countries:
- Denmark
- Norway
- Sweden
- France
- Germany
- the United Kingdom
- the Netherlands
- Finland
The tariffs will take effect on 1 February and will increase to 25% from 1 June.
“This tariff will be payable until an agreement is reached on the full and final purchase of Greenland. The United States has been trying to complete this deal for more than 150 years. Many presidents have tried to do it — and for good reasons — but Denmark has always refused,” he said. At the same time, Trump added that the United States remains open to negotiations with Denmark and with any of the countries affected by the new tariffs.
Situation in Greenland
Trump has repeatedly stated that Washington needs Greenland for strategic reasons. He argues that the United States must control the island to prevent it from being seized by Russia or China. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen responded by calling on the US president to “stop the threats,” while European leaders stressed that only the people of Greenland and Copenhagen have the right to decide the future of the territory. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared his support for Denmark’s sovereignty.
On 14 January, Denmark announced the deployment of additional military forces to Greenland “in connection with training activities.” According to Danish authorities, the reinforcement plan includes:
- an increase in the number of military aircraft operating in and around Greenland
- additional naval vessels in Arctic waters
- a larger presence of Danish military personnel on the island
- participation of forces from NATO allied countries
Norway confirmed that it would send two representatives of the Norwegian Armed Forces to Greenland to assess further cooperation between allies, Norwegian newspaper VG reported. Germany announced plans to deploy 13 servicemen to the island as part of allied coordination efforts. France and the United Kingdom have also stated that they will contribute military personnel to the expanded presence in Greenland, although exact numbers have not yet been specified.
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Cover Photo - X / The White House
