After US President Trump’s tariff threat in the Greenland dispute, European countries are closing ranks.
January 18, 2026, 2:25 p.mJanuary 18, 2026, 2:43 p.m
US President Donald Trump’s increasingly threatening claims to the Arctic island of Greenland, which belongs to Denmark, have led to growing transatlantic tensions. The dispute reached a new dimension on Saturday when Trump announced punitive tariffs against Germany and other EU countrieswho had supported Denmark’s refusal to cede Greenland to the USA.
The escalation is very sensitive for the Europeans because they are dependent on defense support from the USA within NATO and do not want to alienate Washington. It has triggered diplomatic activity in several European countries. An overview:
Joint statement
Germany and the other affected European countries are united against US President Donald Trump’s threat of punitive tariffs in the Greenland conflict. “Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and pose the risk of escalation,” says a joint statement from Germany with Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Great Britain. We will respond in a coordinated manner. “We are determined to preserve our sovereignty.”
The joint declaration of the eight states said: “As NATO allies, we are committed to strengthening security in the Arctic. This is a common transatlantic interest.” The Arctic Endurance exercise, coordinated by Denmark, is a response to the need for greater security in the Arctic. “The exercise poses no threat to anyone,” said the eight countries.
And further:
«We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland. Building on the process that began last week, we are ready to enter into dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. We stand firmly by these principles.”
Macron is coordinating countermeasures
The French President’s entourage said that Emmanuel Macron was in contact with his European counterparts and would request on behalf of France to activate an EU law to ward off economic coercion. Specifically, it is about the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI). It allows the EU to take countermeasures when economic pressure is used to force political decisions.
French President Macron wants to reactivate a law that allows the EU to take countermeasures against economic coercion. Image: keystone
Macron is busy coordinating the European response to the “unacceptable threats from President Trump,” it was said in Paris. From the president’s perspective, the American approach to the Greenland dispute raises the question of the validity of the customs agreement that the European Union concluded with the United States last summer.
The EU and the USA agreed on a deal in the customs conflict last year, which the EU Parliament still has to approve. Accordingly, the US tariff of 15 percent should apply to most European products. Tariffs on US industrial goods, on the other hand, should be completely abolished and barriers to the import of certain foods should be removed.
Denmark coordinates with allies
The Danish Foreign Ministry announced that Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen would travel to the Norwegian capital Oslo for consultations today. He will be in London on Monday and visit the Swedish capital Stockholm on Thursday.
Danish Foreign Minister Rasmussen.Image: keystone
«In a turbulent and unpredictable world, Denmark needs close friends and allies. These are Norway, the United Kingdom and Sweden,” said Rasmussen, according to the statement.
Security in the Arctic is on the agenda, the statement said. The focus of the discussions is likely to be Donald Trump’s claims to Greenland. The US President bases this claim primarily with the argument that Denmark cannot adequately defend the strategically important territory in the Arctic against Russian or Chinese threats. Copenhagen and its European allies, on the other hand, argue that security in the Arctic is a joint task for NATO.
Klingbeil: “We must not allow ourselves to be blackmailed”
“We must not allow ourselves to be blackmailed by what is currently happening,” said German Vice Chancellor and SPD chairman Lars Klingbeil at the New Year’s reception of the Rhineland-Palatinate SPD district association Altenkirchen in Daaden. One cannot follow the path that US President Donald Trump is taking. “We will not allow ourselves to be intimidated, not with tariffs, not with words, not with threats. “We have to be clear about that, calmly but clearly,” said Klingbeil the day after Trump’s tariff announcement.
“A limit has been reached here”: German Vice Chancellor Klingbeil (l.) and Federal Chancellor Merz. Image: keystone
The Finance Minister said that he and Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) are very much in agreement on this issue. “We are in close consultation in the federal government. We are currently coordinating very closely with our European partners. And there will be a European response to this threat and to this announcement yesterday,” he added. “A limit has been reached here.”
Meloni warns of “escalation”
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has warned of an escalation after Trump’s tariff threats. There is obviously a communication problem between the two sides, said the right-wing head of government during a visit to South Korea’s capital Seoul. It is now necessary to “restart the dialogue and avoid escalation”.
Trump’s tariff threats “a mistake”: Italian Prime Minister Meloni.Image: keystone
Meloni described the US President’s latest tariff threats as a mistake. The sending of soldiers by eight other European countries on a fact-finding mission to the Danish island is not directed against the USA. This should not be interpreted as “anti-American”. The Prime Minister reported that this was why she spoke to Trump on the phone herself. “I think it’s very important to talk to each other at this stage.”
Italy, a founding member of NATO, is not taking part in the current exploratory mission led by Denmark. Among European heads of government, Meloni is considered one of those who have good access to Trump.
Von der Leyen and Costa warn of a “downward spiral”
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President António Costa reacted together on Saturday evening. They warned that “tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”
EU Council President Costa and EU Commission President von der Leyen.Image: keystone
The two EU leaders announced that Europe would “continue to act in a united and coordinated manner and work to preserve its sovereignty.” The 27 EU countries convened meetings of their permanent representatives in Brussels on Sunday afternoon.
EU Parliament no longer wants customs deal
One lever could possibly be the customs deal negotiated by the EU and the USA last year, which the EU Parliament still has to approve. Accordingly, the US tariff of 15 percent should apply to most European products. Tariffs on US industrial goods, on the other hand, should be completely abolished and barriers to the import of certain foods should be removed.
After Trump’s threat, the head of the European People’s Party (EPP), Manfred Weber, said approval was not possible at this point. “The zero percent tariffs on US products must be suspended,” explained the CSU politician. The EPP is the largest political group in the European Parliament. Since other political groups also reject the customs agreement, Parliament’s approval next week now seems impossible.
These countries are affected by Trump’s new tariffs
Resistance also in the USA
Opposition Democrats in the US Congress in Washington are also resisting Trump’s tariff threat. The Democratic minority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, says he wants to block the threatened tariffs by law “before they cause further damage to the American economy and our allies in Europe,” as he explained.
(dhr/sda/dpa)