European countries balk at Trump’s Greenland tariffs threat

Several U.S. allies hit back Sunday at President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on countries that oppose his plan to seize Greenland.

The trans-Atlantic standoff figures to loom over the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting this week in Davos, Switzerland.

Trump announced Saturday that eight countries would face a 10% tariff on every product for their opposition to U.S. control of Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory whose acquisition Trump has suddenly deemed crucial for U.S. security. The tariffs would go into effect Feb. 1 and increase to 25% on June 1.

Trump’s tariff remarks triggered sharp warnings and concerns about the U.S. commitment to NATO. In a joint statement Sunday, the countries — Denmark,  Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the U.K. — hit back:

“Tariff threats undermine trans-Atlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” the statement read. “We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our response. We are committed to upholding our sovereignty.”

In a call with Trump on Sunday, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer separately told him that “applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is wrong.”

Europe, said Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, “won’t be blackmailed.”

The White House previously said that military force to seize control of Greenland “is always an option,” an idea criticized by Danish and Greenlandic officials and even members of Trump’s own party.

The Kingdom of Denmark has increased its security presence in the region in response to the threats.

The tariff flap comes on the eve of Davos 2026, the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Sunday that he spoke with Trump “regarding the security situation in Greenland and the Arctic” and planned to speak with him at Davos.