BERLIN — The eight European countries targeted by President Trump for a 10% tariff for opposing American control of Greenland denounced the move Sunday, warning that his threats “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
The joint statement by some of America’s closest allies signaled a possible turning point in the recent tensions over sovereignty and security nearly 24 hours after Trump’s threat.
It was also the most forceful rebuke of Trump from the European allies since he returned to the White House almost a year ago. In recent months, Europeans have mostly opted for diplomacy and flattery around him, even when seeking an end to the war in Ukraine. Sunday’s statement, coming after some European countries recently sent troops to Greenland for a Danish military training exercise, appeared to be a step back from that strategy.
The unusually strong joint statement from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland said troops sent to Greenland for an operation dubbed Arctic Endurance pose “no threat to anyone.”
In solidarity with Denmark, Greenland
Trump’s Saturday announcement sets up a potentially dangerous test of U.S. partnerships in Europe. He appeared to indicate that he was using the tariffs as leverage to force talks over the status of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark that he says is crucial to U.S. national security. Trump says he would like the U.S. to buy the Arctic island, but has not ruled out taking it by military force.
“We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland,” the group’s statement said. “Building on the process begun last week, we stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind. Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
There are immediate questions about how the White House could try to implement the tariffs because the European Union is a single economic zone in terms of trading. It was unclear, too, how Trump could act under U.S. law, though he could cite emergency economic powers that are currently subject to a U.S. Supreme Court challenge.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said China and Russia will benefit from divisions between the U.S. and Europe. She added in a post on social media: “If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO. Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity.”
Europe has been trying to keep Trump on its side to ensure American support for Ukraine, including Washington sharing intelligence with Kyiv and its involvement in security guarantees if a peace agreement is reached with Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media that “no intimidation or threats will influence us, whether in Ukraine, Greenland or anywhere else in the world when we are faced with such situations.” He added that “tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context.”
Trump’s move was also panned domestically.
U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat and former astronaut and Navy pilot, said Trump’s threatened tariffs on U.S. allies would make Americans “pay more to try to get territory we don’t need.”
“Troops from European countries are arriving in Greenland to defend the territory from us. Let that sink in,” Kelly wrote on social media. “The damage this President is doing to our reputation and our relationships is growing, making us less safe. If something doesn’t change we will be on our own with adversaries and enemies in every direction.”
Trump’s populist allies criticize his move
Six of the countries targeted are part of the 27-member EU. It was not immediately clear whether Trump’s tariffs, which he says will take effect next month unless the nations change their stance, would affect the entire bloc. EU envoys scheduled emergency talks Sunday evening to determine a potential response.
The tariff announcement also drew blowback from Trump’s populist allies in Europe.
Italy’s right-wing prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, considered one of Trump’s closest allies on the continent, said she had spoken to him about the tariffs, which she described as “a mistake.”
The deployment to Greenland of small numbers of troops by European countries was misunderstood by Washington, Meloni said, adding that it was not a move against the U.S. but aimed to provide security against “other actors” that she didn’t identify.
Jordan Bardella, president of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party in France and a European Parliament lawmaker, posted that the EU should suspend last year’s tariff deal with the U.S., describing Trump’s threats as “commercial blackmail.”
Trump also achieved the rare feat of uniting Britain’s main political parties — including the hard-right Reform UK party — all of whom criticized his tariff announcement.
“We don’t always agree with the U.S. government and in this case we certainly don’t. These tariffs will hurt us,” said Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, a longtime champion and ally of Trump. His social media post stopped short of criticizing Trump’s designs on Greenland.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who leads the center-left Labor Party, said the tariff announcement was “completely wrong” and his government would “be pursuing this directly with the U.S. administration.”
The foreign ministers of Denmark and Norway are also expected to address the crisis Sunday in Oslo during a news conference.
Dazio, Lawless and Burrows write for the Associated Press and reported from Berlin, London and Nuuk, Greenland. AP writers John Leicester in Paris; Lorne Cook in Brussels; Barry Hatton in Lisbon; Aamer Madhani in Washington and Josh Boak in West Palm Beach, Fla.; contributed to this report.
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