EU assesses 93 billion tariffs against the US for Greenland (Ft). Trump will see European leaders and von der Leyen in Davos

"We always try to use common sense, because we talk to everyone and always tell the truth. We worked well at the tariffs agreement, I think we can work well at this stage too. The important thing is to make ourselves understood, the President of the Council has a dialogue with the United States but also with the Europeans and I believe that Italy, precisely because of its nature, because of its ability to mediate and to know how to dialogue with everyone, will be able to play a positive role in finding agreements because there is absolutely no need for either trade wars or confrontations. We need dialogue and we need to find ways to find solutions that do not penalise anyone'. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said this in Misurata.

"The US projects strength, the Europeans project weakness," "the battle for the Arctic is real even though it won't be this year," and with Greenland part of the US "there will be no conflict," said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. "For more than 100 years, American presidents have tried to buy Greenland. It is essential for American security," also in light of the fact that "we are building the Golden Dome," Bessent explained.

It is true that Greenland has always been prioritised as a strategic-military asset, but it must be emphasised that only Trump has explicitly put the idea of a territorial takeover on the table.

"I believe that everything can be resolved with a calm confrontation. President Meloni spoke with President Trump today, he explained what the reasons are. I believe that a further customs war only serves to benefit our competitors, I mean the competitors of the West'. This was stated by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, commenting at a press point in Misurata, Libya, on the new tariffs threatened by Trump for European countries that have sent troops to Greenland.

Further reading

Meloni: 'Tariffs increase a mistake, I told Trump. Let's work to avoid escalation"

18 January 2026

Donald Trump is committed to Greenland but privately is increasingly setting his sights on Canada, lamenting its vulnerability to American adversaries in the Arctic. This is reported by Nbc citing sources who say that as part of the debate on US strategy in the Arctic, the administration is considering a potential agreement with Canada to strengthen its northern border. The arrangement does not include any deployment of US troops along Canada's northern border. Trump has said several times in the past that he wants to make Canada the 51st US state, but has not spoken about this in recent months.

"Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk triggering a dangerous downward spiral. We will continue to respond in a united and coordinated manner. We are committed to defending our sovereignty'. This is what Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom, i.e. the eight countries for which US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs as of 1 February, wrote in a joint note. "We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland," the note continues, "on the basis of the process initiated last week, we are ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, which we firmly support."

Giorgia Meloni returns to the role of bridge between the two sides of the Atlantic. "The forecast of an increase in tariffs against those nations that have chosen to contribute to the security of Greenland is a mistake and I do not share it," the premier premised at the press point convened with Italian reporters present in Seoul. She then revealed that she had heard from Donald Trump, because - she explained - there was "a problem of understanding and communication" on the initiative of the eight European countries that decided to send soldiers to the Arctic as part of the Arctic Endurance exercise (Germany, France, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands). "It should not be read as 'anti-American'," says the premier. We must 'resume dialogue and avoid escalation'.

Germany and its European partners will not allow themselves to be "blackmailed" by Donald Trump, German Finance Minister and Vice-Chancellor Lars Klingbeil said today, after the US president announced further tariffs to put pressure on Europe in the Greenland dispute, the Guardian writes. "Germany will always extend a hand to the United States to find common solutions, but Berlin cannot agree with Washington on this," Klingbeil said in a note. "And so the signal is very clear: we will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed and there will be a European response," he added.

The reconnaissance team of 15 German military personnel sent to Greenland in recent days will leave the Arctic island today for Copenhagen. A German military spokesman told Dpa, referring to the soldiers who arrived on Friday as part of the Danish-led reconnaissance mission ahead of the planned military exercise. The spokesman for the command and control centre of the German forces explained that the mission had ended and that 'the results of the reconnaissance will be analysed in the coming days'. The return of the German soldiers comes in the aftermath of Donald Trump's announcement of additional tariffs as of 1 February for the eight European countries that have sent military personnel to the island, an autonomous Danish territory, to participate in the exercises.

"The foreign policy of a great country like Italy cannot be reduced to waiting and interpreting what Donald Trump will say or do. The knots are coming to the boil, also for Giorgia Meloni. We would have expected a clear stance: Greenland is not to be touched, not to be sold or bought, we defend the territorial integrity of an EU member state'. This was said by PD secretary Elly Schlein. "For the first time Italy appears politically incapable of expressing real European solidarity. If your only ambition is to be the most Trumpian government in Europe, it is inevitable to slip into marginality and enter into contradiction with the rest of the EU."

"We must not let ourselves be blackmailed by what is happening". This was stated by the German vice-chancellor and finance minister, Lars Klingbeil, commenting. during an SPD event on Donald Trump's threats to apply new tariffs to European countries that said they would send troops to Greenland. "We must not be intimidated, neither by tariffs nor by words or threats. We have to be clear with respect, calm but clear," he later added, saying that Germany is always ready for dialogue with the US to find solutions but cannot follow President Trump on this point. "At the moment we are coordinating closely with our European allies and there will be a European response to this threat and this announcement yesterday," Klingbeil said again, assuring that Chancellor Friedrich Merz's positions fully coincide on this point. 'This is where we draw the line,' the SPD president concluded.

"A group of countries can move forward in this integration process towards truly European armed forces, with a truly common defence industry". This was said by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, in an interview with La Vanguardia, in the climate of growing concern over US threats to annex Greenland. "And for that there is no need for the unanimous agreement of the member states," he added, explaining that he had discussed the hypothesis with European colleagues, "let's say in an abstract way". The premier reiterated that greater strategic autonomy for the EU 'is indispensable'. With respect to sending Spanish troops to Greenland, Sanchez reiterated that 'Spain has not taken a decision on this issue'.

"We seek to safeguard the security of the Arctic together with all our allies, while respecting the territorial integrity of Denmark and Greenland. Tariffs would harm both Europe and the United States. They are of no use to anyone. We are working closely with our European partners and allies'. This was written in a post on social X by the Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo.

French President Emmanuel Macron will request the activation of the EU's anti-coercive instrument in case of new US tariffs. This was reported by informed sources close to the French presidency.

Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel said that US President Donald Trump's threat to impose new tariffs on European allies until they agree to sell Greenland to the US is 'blackmail'. "What he is doing is blackmail... and it is not necessary. It doesn't help the Alliance and it doesn't help Greenland either,' David van Weel said in an interview on Dutch television quoted by the Guardian.

"The threats uttered by Donald Trump against the sovereignty of a state, a fortiori a European state, are unacceptable. Trade blackmail is not tolerable. We call on the EU to suspend the agreement concluded last July, which we denounced at the time, and which commits our interests without sufficient quid pro quo."

This is what Jordan Bardella, president of the French far-right party Rassemblement National (Rn), wrote in a post on social X after the US president's words on Greenland. "Otherwise, Brussels would once again demonstrate its impotence and resigned acceptance of the vassalage of its member states," he added, referring to the agreement signed in July on tariffs by the EU and the US.

"The prediction of an increase in tariffs against those nations that have chosen to contribute to the security of Greenland is a mistake and I do not share it". So said Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaking to journalists in Seoul, explaining that she had heard from Donald Trump in the last few hours and that there was "a problem of understanding and communication" on the initiative of some EU countries that should not be read in an "anti-American" key. We must "resume dialogue and avoid escalation".

If the United States took possession of Greenland by force, it would be the "end of the world order as we know it", former Nato secretary-general and former Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in an interview with the Financial Times, pointing out that Trump is using language about Greenland similar to that of the "gangsters" in Russia and China that he should try to control. "For me it has been a painful process. Ever since I was a child, I saw the United States as the natural leader of the free world. I even spoke of the US as the world's policeman," said Rasmussen, who sent Danish troops to fight with the US in Afghanistan. "Now we see the US using language very similar to that of the gangsters it is supposed to control in Moscow, Beijing, etc." According to Rasmussen also, "The divisions in the West play into Russia's hands. I am sure Moscow hopes that Greenland will become the iceberg that will sink NATO. So this goes beyond Denmark and Greenland.... Conquering Greenland would mean the end of the world order as we know it'.

Foreign Minister Lars L kke Rasmussen will visit European colleagues over the next five days to discuss the security situation in the Arctic. He will start today with a visit to Oslo, and then on to London and Stockholm. This was announced by the Danish Foreign Ministry in a statement reported by the Ritzau news agency. 'In a turbulent and unpredictable world, Denmark needs close friends and allies,' the statement says. 'These are Norway, Great Britain and Sweden, and I will use my meetings to thank them for the great support the Kingdom has received at a difficult time. What our countries have in common is that we all agree on the need to strengthen NATO's role in the Arctic, and I look forward to discussing how'. The visits come after US President Donald Trump stepped up his rhetoric about his desire to take over Greenland. Yesterday Trump wrote on Truth that Denmark and other European countries will be hit with a 10% tariff due to disagreements over Greenland

"Democrats will introduce a bill to block these tariffs before they can further damage the American economy and our European allies." This was announced by Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer after Donald Trump said he will impose added tariffs of 10% on European countries that have sent troops to Greenland in opposition to his expansionist aims on the Arctic island, adding that these measures will remain "until an agreement is reached for the complete and total takeover of Greenland." "Trump's reckless tariffs have already driven up prices and damaged our economy, and now he's making things worse," the Dem leader said again, "it's unbelievable that he wants to persist in stupidity by imposing tariffs on our closest allies for his Quixotic takeover of Greenland. Republican Senators Thom Tills and Lisa Murkokowski also condemned the Greenland tariffs, which Tills called "bad for America, American business and America's allies." "We are already seeing the consequences of these measures: our allies are forced to turn their attention and resources to Greenland, a dynamic

"If Trump takes Greenland he makes Putin the happiest man in the world". Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says this in an interview with La Vanguardia. Sánchez stresses that any military action by the US against the vast Arctic island would damage NATO and legitimise Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "On Greenland, a US invasion of that territory would make Vladimir Putin the happiest man in the world. Why? Because it would legitimise his attempted invasion of Ukraine,' he points out.

"A gesture that erases Atlantic solidarity. It is a decision of enormous gravity, the announcement of an act of economic war on one's allies. The risk is that in Greenland not only the glaciers will melt but also NATO'. Thus, in an interview with La Stampa, former Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni defines Donald Trump's threat to introduce tariffs for those European countries that have sent military personnel to Greenland. 'It is a threat that has to be taken very seriously, and I hope that Europe's reaction will be up to the situation,' Gentiloni continued, hoping that 'we will maintain a firm stance. The countries that have sent troops have certainly not done so against the US or NATO, but to collaborate with Denmark on the security of Greenland'. Regarding Italy's position and the fact that Defence Minister Guido Crosetto says that with 15 French and 15 Germans it sounds like a joke, the former European Commissioner says: "I appreciate Minister Crosetto especially for what he is doing for Ukraine but in this case there is little to laugh about. Greenland is huge, but it only has 50,000 inhabitants: it is normal that the numbers are small, even the American soldiers are 200. Sending European soldiers seems to me to be part of the Union's duty. It strikes me that this very government, which, when speaking of Ukraine, has always called for guarantees along the lines of NATO's Article 5, is pulling back". "I think our position is increasingly weak and in the long run unsustainable," Gentiloni concludes, "We cannot ignore the fact that the Atlantic Alliance is no longer what it once was. Being recalcitrant on all decisions, from Ukraine to Greenland to Mercosur, does not give the country strength. Being the most Trumpian government in Europe does not benefit Italy'.

The Netherlands, one of the countries threatened by Donald Trump's new tariffs on the Greenland dossier, said it had 'taken note' of the announcement on new tariffs. In a post on X, the country's Foreign Minister David van Weel emphasised that the Netherlands was 'in close contact with the other EU member states to decide on a response'. Van Weel also added that 'the military exercise efforts in Greenland are precisely intended to contribute to security in the Arctic region'.

Democrats attack Donald Trump over tariffs on European countries for Greenland. The president's "is a nonsensical imperialist fantasy," said Ron Wyden of the Senate Banking Committee. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer pledges to introduce a measure aimed at blocking the president and his tariffs.

"It is deeply stupid to raise the level of conflict with friendly countries in this way: Denmark, France, Germany and all the others sanctioned for supporting Greenland are serious allies of the US. Trump thinks that in this way he will convince them to back down so as not to have a problem with him. But this is short-term thinking. Not a strategy. In the long run, the US will come apart at the seams'. Ian Bremmer is a global risk analyst and founder of the think tank Eurasia Group, considered one of the most influential in Washington.

Trump wants Greenland out of 'ego and old age, certainly not necessity. If the US really needed Greenland,' he says in an interview with Repubblica, 'all Trump would have to do is pick up the phone and agree with the Danish premier'.

"We have consistently emphasised our common transatlantic interest in peace and security in the Arctic, including through NATO. The pre-coordinated Danish exercise, conducted with allies, responds to the need to strengthen security in the Arctic and poses no threat to anyone. The EU stands in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland. Dialogue remains essential and we are committed to continuing the process started already last week between the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States. Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk triggering a dangerous downward spiral. Europe will remain united, coordinated and committed to defending its sovereignty'. This reads the joint statement by President von der Leyen and President Antonio Costa

"Finland takes it for granted that problems between allies are solved through discussion and common rules of the game, not by creating pressure. Strengthening Arctic security together with our allies is important for Finland. This is also the goal of the Danish-led and allied-coordinated activities in Greenland'. Finnish President Alexander Stubb writes this on X. "The European countries are united. We emphasise the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty. We support Denmark and Greenland,' Stubb adds. The dialogue with the United States continues. Tariffs would be detrimental to transatlantic relations and could trigger a vicious circle'.

The ambassadors of the 27 EU countries will meet today for an emergency meeting after US President Donald Trump promised a wave of increasing tariffs on European allies until the US is allowed to buy Greenland. Reuters writes this on its website, pointing out that Cyprus, which holds the six-month rotating presidency of the EU, announced tonight that it had called the meeting for tomorrow. EU diplomats said it was scheduled to start at 5pm.

"Threats have no place among allies. Norway's position is firm: Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Norway fully supports the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark. Within NATO there is a broad consensus on the need to strengthen security in the Arctic, including Greenland." Thus on X, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, commenting on Donald Trump's decision to impose 10% tariffs on countries participating in the joint European military exercise in Greenland.

Kirill Dmitriev, Russian presidential advisor for foreign investment and one of the main negotiators with the United States, commented on X on Donald Trump's announcement to impose tariffs on some European countries, among which Italy is not one, over Greenland. 'Collapse of the transatlantic union. In the end, something really worth discussing in Davos,' Dmitriev wrote.

One of the Greenlandic government's most prominent ministers, Naaja Nathanielsen, praised the response of European countries to Donald Trump's new tariff threats regarding the island's future. "I am grateful and confident that diplomacy and alliances will prevail," the Minister of Mineral Resources said in a message on LinkedIn. The US president has threatened to impose new tariffs on imports from eight European countries that have sent troops to Greenland, a territory coveted by Trump.

"I do not foresee military intervention in Greenland. The diplomatic route is the way to go." House Speaker Mike Johnson said this in an interview with Bbc before Donald Trump announced tariffs on several European countries over Greenland.

"The European Union supports Denmark and the people of Greenland. We do so with united determination. The measures against NATO allies announced today will not contribute to security in the Arctic'. Pe President Roberta Metsola writes this on x. 'Rather, they risk having the opposite effect, encouraging our common enemies and those who wish to destroy our values and way of life. Greenland and Denmark have both made it clear that Greenland is not for sale and that its sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected. No threat of tariffs can or will change this fact,' he concludes.