Trump announced tarrifs on UK, France, other NATO allies over Greenland dispute

United States President Donald Trump has announced new tariffs on several NATO allies over their opposition to Washington’s push to control Greenland.

In a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump said a 10 percent tariff would take effect from February 1 on the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands.

He added that the tariffs would rise to 25 percent from June 1 if the dispute remains unresolved.

According to Trump, the measures would stay in place until an agreement is reached for the United States to acquire Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark.

He accused the affected countries of playing a “very dangerous game” by resisting US interests in the Arctic island.

“The need to AQUIRE Greenland has become essential for the safety, security and survival of our planet,” Trump wrote, linking the territory to a proposed US missile defence system known as the Golden Dome, which he said could include the “possible protection of Canada”.

European leaders reacted sharply, rejecting both the tariff threat and the idea of US control over Greenland.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe would not be intimidated.

“No intimidation or threat will influence us, neither in Ukraine, nor in Greenland, nor anywhere else in the world when we are confronted with such situations,” Macron wrote on X.

He warned that “tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context”, adding that Europe would respond “in a united and coordinated manner” if the measures are confirmed.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also condemned the move, describing it as fundamentally wrong.

“Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong,” he said, noting that London would raise the matter directly with Washington.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the dispute would only benefit global rivals.

“China and Russia must be having a field day. They are the ones who benefit from divisions among allies,” she wrote, warning that tariffs would make both Europe and the US poorer.

The announcement came amid protests in Denmark and Greenland, where thousands of demonstrators rejected Trump’s repeated statements that US control of the island is “unacceptable” to forgo.

Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Washington’s position remains worrying.

“It’s clear that the president has this wish of conquering over Greenland,” he told reporters after talks in Washington.

Recent polling shows overwhelming opposition among Greenlanders, with 85 percent rejecting any move to join the United States.