Eight European countries targeted by US President Donald Trump10% tariff imposed due to opposition to US control of GreenlandSunday slammed the move, warning that the US leader’s threats “undermine the transatlantic relationship and risk a dangerous downward spiral”.
In an unusual and very strong joint statement on Sunday, key U.S. allies Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland said the troops sent to Greenland to take part in Denmark’s Arctic Endurance military training exercise “posed no threat to anyone.”
Trump’s announcement on Saturday poses a potentially dangerous test for America’s partnerships in Europe. The Republican president appeared to signal he was using tariffs as leverage to force negotiations on the status of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory.NATO alliesHe considers Denmark vital to U.S. national security.
“We stand in total solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland,” the organization said. “Building on the process that began last week, we stand ready to engage in dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we firmly support. Tariffs threaten to undermine the transatlantic relationship and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
Since the EU is a single economic zone when it comes to trade, there are looming questions about how the White House will try to implement tariffs. It’s unclear how Trump would act under U.S. law, although he could invoke emergency economic powers that are currently subject to U.S. law.United States Supreme Courtchallenge.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Karas said China and Russia would benefit from the differences between the United States and Europe. She posted on social media: “If Greenland’s security is threatened, we can solve the problem within NATO. Tariffs could make Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity.”
Trump’s move also faced domestic criticism.
U.S. Senator Mark Kelly,former U.S. Navy pilotDemocrats representing Arizona posted that Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on U.S. allies would “cost Americans more to try to gain territory we don’t need.”
“Military forces from European countries are arriving in Greenland to defend this territory from us. Let us understand this,” he wrote on social media. “This president is doing more and more damage to our reputation and our relationships, making us less and less safe. If things don’t change, we will be alone against adversaries and enemies from every direction.”
‘These tariffs will hurt us’
Six of the target countries are part of the 27-member European Union, which operates as a single economic area in terms of trade. It’s unclear whether Trump’s tariffs will affect the entire EU. EU envoys scheduled emergency talks for Sunday evening to determine possible responses.
The tariff announcement prompted a pushback even from Trump’s populist allies in Europe.
Italy’s right-wing Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni, considered one of Trump’s closest allies on the continent, said on Sunday she had discussed the tariffs with Trump, which she called “a mistake.”
Meloni told reporters that the deployment of a small number of troops by some European countries to Greenland has been misunderstood by Washington. She said the deployment was not a move against the United States but was aimed at providing security against “other actors” that she did not name.
French President Macron wrote on social media, “When we are faced with this situation, no intimidation or threats will affect us, whether in Ukraine, Greenland or anywhere else in the world.” He added, “The threat of tariffs is unacceptable and has no place in this situation.”
European Parliament member Jordan Bardella, chairman of France’s far-right National Rally party, said the EU should suspend last year’stariff agreementrelations with the United States, describing Trump’s threats as “commercial blackmail.”
Trump also achieved the rare feat of uniting Britain’s main political parties, including the far-right Reform UK party, all of which have criticized the tariff threat.
“We don’t always agree with the US government, and in this case we certainly don’t. These tariffs will hurt us,” Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, a long-time Trump supporter and ally, wrote on social media. He stopped short of criticizing Trump’s plans for Greenland.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who leads the centre-left Labor Party, said the tariff announcement was “completely wrong” and that his government would “pursue the matter directly with the US government”.
The foreign ministers of Denmark and Norway are also expected to discuss the crisis at a news conference in Oslo on Sunday.
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Leicester reported from Paris and Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Barry Hutton in Lisbon, Portugal, Amer Madani in Washington and Josh Bock in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.
This story was originally published on wealth network