EU ambassadors to meet after Trump threatens tariffs over Greenland

Senior European diplomats are due to hold emergency talks after US president Donald Trump said he was targeting eight European nations with tariffs over their support for Greenland. Trump announced tariffs on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland, accusing them of playing "a very dangerous game" and saying they would face 10% tariffs from 1 February, rising to 25% from 1 June.

In a Truth Social post he said the tariffs would be levied "until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland." European leaders reacted sharply. Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, called the proposed sanctions a "mistake", and the Dutch foreign minister, David van Weel, described the threats as "blackmail".

Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa said the tariffs would "undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral". The leader of the European Parliament’s largest group, Manfred Weber, said approval of the US–EU trade deal "is not possible at this stage", and ratification expected by February has been thrown into doubt.

The EU’s 27 ambassadors will meet in an emergency session later on Sunday. According to Agence France‑Presse, Emmanuel Macron will urge the EU to use its unused anti‑coercion instrument if the US goes ahead with tariffs; the law allows punitive economic measures against a country seeking to force a policy change but has never been used.

Key Topics

World, Donald Trump, Greenland, European Union, Denmark, Anti-coercion Instrument