BERLIN (AP) — Europeans were stunned on Sunday by U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that eight countries would face 10% tariffs over their opposition to U.S. control of Greenland.
Reactions to Trump’s decision on Saturday ranged from saying he faced the risk of a “dangerous downward spiral” to predicting that “China and Russia are bound to shine.”
Trump’s threats pose a potentially dangerous test for U.S. partnerships in Europe. In recent days, several European countries have sent troops to Greenland, saying they are conducting Arctic security training there. Trump made the announcement on Saturday as thousands of Greenlanders were wrapping up protests outside the U.S. consulate in the capital, Nuuk.
The Republican president appeared to indicate he was using the tariffs as leverage to force negotiations with Denmark and other European countries over Greenland’s status. Greenland is a semi-autonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, which he considers vital to U.S. national security. Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland will face tariffs.
A European diplomat who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity said there was a looming question about how the White House would try to implement the tariffs because the EU is a single economic zone when it comes to trade. It’s unclear how Trump would act under U.S. law, although he could invoke emergency economic powers currently being challenged by the U.S. Supreme Court.
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.
Mark Kelly, a former U.S. Navy pilot and Democratic senator representing Arizona, posted that Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on U.S. allies will make Americans “pay 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.”
‘At risk of dangerous downward spiral’
Norway and the UK are not part of the 27-member EU, which operates as a single economic area for trade purposes. It’s unclear whether Trump’s tariffs will affect the entire EU. EU envoys scheduled emergency talks for Sunday evening to determine possible responses.
European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged to continue their full solidarity with Denmark and Greenland.
“Tariffs will undermine the transatlantic relationship and create the risk of a dangerous downward spiral. Europe will remain united, coordinated and committed to safeguarding its sovereignty,” they wrote in a joint statement late Saturday.
The tariff announcement prompted a pushback even from Trump’s populist allies in Europe.
Jordan Bardella, chairman of France’s far-right National Rally party and member of the European Parliament, posted that the EU should suspend last year’s tariff agreement with the United States and described 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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Lester reported from Paris and Cook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London and Josh Boak in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.
