Europe stands against Trump’s tariff threats, calls move ‘dangerous’ to trans-Atlantic ties

‘Leave Greenland alone!”

A heckler shouted at Vanessa Williams while she sang the US national anthem before an NBA game in London, England, between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Orlando Magic on Jan 18, the Associated Press reported.

The heckler drew scattered laughter and applause, though Williams was unfazed and completed the song.

US President Donald Trump has insisted that the United States should control the semi-autonomous Danish territory of Greenland for “national security” reasons, and that anything less would be “unacceptable”. Trump said he plans to impose tariffs on eight European countries that oppose his desire to control the Arctic island.

In a Truth Social post on Jan 17, Trump said the countries will have a 10 percent tariff on all goods imported to the US, effective Feb 1. He threatened to raise the tariffs to 25 percent if an agreement was not made by June 1.

On Jan 19, Trump told the Norwegian prime minister in a message that the world would not be secure unless the US controlled Greenland.

“Considering your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 wars plus, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America,” Trump wrote in the letter to Jonas Gahr Store.

Asked what national emergency was being invoked, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told NBC News that the tariffs were justified because “the national emergency is avoiding the national emergency”.

Bessent argued that European “weakness” necessitated US control of Greenland for global stability.

EU leaders held an emergency summit on Jan 22 following the threats by Trump.

The crisis talks in Brussels came as the bloc weighs potential countermeasures if Trump follows through on punishing some of Washington’s closest allies.

The German and French finance ministers said on Jan 19 that the European powers would not be blackmailed and there would be a clear and united response to threats of tariffs.

“Germany and France agree: we will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed,” German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said at his ministry, where he received his French counterpart.

“Blackmail between allies of 250 years, blackmail between friends, is obviously unacceptable,” French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said at the same event.

Earlier, eight of the US’ closest European allies stood against the tariffs on Jan 18.

In a statement, the eight NATO nations — including Denmark — called the tariffs “dangerous” to trans-Atlantic relations and declared “full solidarity” on the Greenland issue.

Greenland’s premier said on Jan 19 it would not be pressured by the threats.

In a Facebook post, Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the support of other nations, “as a clear recognition that Greenland is a democratic society with the right to make its own decisions”.

“The latest statements from the United States, including threats of tariffs, do not change that stance. We will not be pressured,” Nielsen continued.

According to the Financial Times, the European Union is considering hitting Washington with 93 billion euros ($107.68 billion) worth of tariffs or restricting US companies from the bloc’s market in response to Trump’s tariff threats.

Meanwhile, EU leaders are set to discuss the yet-to-be-used Anti-Coercion Instrument, which could limit access to public tenders, investments, or banking activity. It may also restrict trade in services, in which the US has a surplus with the bloc, including digital services.

The tariff threats also call into question trade deals the US struck with Britain in May and the EU last July.

The European Parliament looks set to suspend its work on the EU-US trade deal. It had been due to vote on removing many EU import duties on Jan 26-27, but Manfred Weber, head of the European People’s Party, the largest group in parliament, said late on Jan 17 that approval was not possible for now.

European troops continued to arrive in Greenland this week in a show of support for Denmark, as talks with the US highlighted “fundamental disagreement”.

For many Greenlanders, discussions about transferring their territory to US control are seen as a “complete insult”, the Greenland Gazette reported.

Agencies contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at shiguang@chinadailyusa.com