President Trump said the United States will impose new tariffs on eight European countries after they opposed U.S. efforts to acquire Greenland, escalating a diplomatic confrontation over the Arctic territory.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
President Donald Trump announced Saturday that the United States will impose a 10 percent tariff on goods from Denmark and seven other European nations, citing their opposition to U.S. efforts to acquire Greenland and their commitments to deploy military forces to the territory.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Greenland is critical to U.S. national security and global stability, warning that “world peace is at stake” and asserting that “China and Russia want Greenland, and there is not a thing that Denmark can do about it,” he wrote.
Trump argued that Denmark lacks the capacity to defend the Arctic territory, quipping that Copenhagen has only “two dogsleds” to protect Greenland, which Denmark has controlled since the 18th century. He said only the United States has the capability to secure the island and counter major geopolitical rivals.
“We have subsidized Denmark, and all of the Countries of the European Union, and others, for many years by not charging them Tariffs, or any other forms of remuneration,” Trump wrote. “Now, after Centuries, it is time for Denmark to give back.”
In addition to Denmark, the tariffs will apply to Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Trump said those countries have aligned with Denmark by committing military support to Greenland, a move he described as destabilizing.
“This is a very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet,” Trump wrote. “These countries, who are playing this very dangerous game, have put a level of risk in play that is not tenable or sustainable.”
The new tariffs would be imposed on top of existing trade measures, including a baseline 15 percent tariff negotiated earlier this year with the European Union and a 10 percent baseline tariff applied to the United Kingdom. Trump warned that if the Greenland dispute is not resolved by June, the additional 10 percent tariff announced Saturday would increase to 25 percent.
Trump said previous U.S. administrations had attempted for more than 150 years to acquire Greenland without success, but argued that current geopolitical conditions make continued failure unacceptable. He cited Greenland’s strategic value for emerging defense initiatives, including the Golden Dome missile defense system.
“Hundreds of Billions of Dollars are currently being spent on Security Programs having to do with ‘The Dome,’ including for the possible protection of Canada,” Trump wrote, adding that the system “can only work at its maximum potential and efficiency” if Greenland is included because of its geographic positioning.
Despite the escalation, Trump said the United States remains open to negotiations. He wrote that Washington is “immediately open to negotiation with Denmark and/or any of these Countries” involved in the dispute, citing decades of U.S. security support for Europe.
Greenlandic and Danish officials have repeatedly rejected the idea of transferring control of the territory to the United States. A first round of talks involving U.S., Danish, and Greenlandic representatives took place this week at the White House and was chaired by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
While all sides agreed to continue high-level discussions, Danish officials told their domestic press that there remains a “fundamental disagreement” between the parties. It remains unclear whether that position could shift if the United States presents a formal financial compensation proposal to Denmark and Greenland’s roughly 57,000 residents.
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