LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has dubbed the additional tariffs threatened by US President Donald Trump over European countries opposed to his Greenland takeover as “completely wrong”.
Starmer joined other European allies on Saturday night to object to the proposed move after Trump posted about the plan on his Truth Social platform.
He has threatened to impose 10 per cent tariffs on goods imported to the US from the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland from February 1.
This could rise even further to 25 per cent until a deal over Greenland, an autonomous island in the Arctic, is reached.
“Our position on Greenland is very clear – it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes,” said Starmer, in a statement released by 10 Downing Street in London.
"We have also made clear that Arctic Security matters for the whole of NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organisation] and allies should all do more together to address the threat from Russia across different parts of the Arctic.
"Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong. We will, of course, be pursuing this directly with the US administration,” he said.
French President Emmanuel Macron described Trump’s threat as “unacceptable”, even as thousands took to the streets in Greenland and Denmark to protest a forced American takeover.
“We will not be swayed by any intimidation,” said Macron.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stressed that European allies won’t be “blackmailed”.
"Sweden is currently having intensive discussions with other EU [European Union] countries, Norway and the United Kingdom to find a joint response," he said.
Meanwhile, in a post on X, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law.
"Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral," she warned.
Next week, Trump is set to meet Von der Leyen and other European leaders at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, when Greenland will dominate the agenda.
In his Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump said it was time for “Denmark to give back” as “world peace is at stake”. It followed European countries, including the UK, taking part in a NATO training exercise in Greenland last week.
He said his administration was “immediately open to negotiation” with the countries involved, adding that the tariffs would only end when “a deal is reached for the complete and total purchase of Greenland”.