Trump threatens 25 per cent tariffs on EU allies to force Greenland purchase
Donald Trump announces a trade offensive against Denmark and European allies.
Image: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP
President Donald Trump announced a new trade offensive against Denmark and several European allies, declaring his intention to impose significant tariffs to compel the sale of Greenland to the United States.
Trump stated that starting February 1, 2026, the United States will levy a 10 per cent tariff on all goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland.
According to the announcement, that rate is scheduled to increase to 25 per cent on June 1, 2026.
President Trump characterised the move as a matter of "Global Peace and Security," claiming that the Danish territory is currently vulnerable to foreign adversaries.
"China and Russia want Greenland, and there is not a thing that Denmark can do about it," the President said. "They currently have two dogsleds as protection, one added recently."
Trump framed the tariffs as a necessary response to what he described as centuries of U.S. subsidies toward European nations.
He stated the financial penalties will remain in place "until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland."
The announcement links the acquisition of the island to a massive defence initiative referred to as "The Golden Dome."
European leaders have condemned Donald Trump's latest remarks about acquiring Greenland.
Image: Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP
The President claimed that the effectiveness of this modern weapons system is geographically dependent on the inclusion of Greenland.
"This very brilliant, but highly complex system can only work at its maximum potential and efficiency, because of angles, metes, and bounds, if this Land is included in it," Trump said.
While the United States has expressed interest in Greenland intermittently since the 1860s, most notably during the Truman administration and previously during Trump’s first term, the Danish government has repeatedly maintained that the island is not for sale. Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
Trump also expressed concern over recent diplomatic or military movements in the region by European powers, describing their presence in Greenland as a "very dangerous situation" for global safety.
"The United States of America is immediately open to negotiation with Denmark and/or any of these Countries," the statement concluded.