Trump threatens new tariffs on eight European countries amid Greenland dispute

Donald Trump has threatened fresh tariffs on eight European countries — the UK, Norway and six EU member states — a move the article says undermines deals concluded last summer and ignores that EU trade agreements are negotiated centrally through Brussels. A spokesperson for the European Council said on Saturday evening they were coordinating a joint response, while Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson rejected the threats, saying "only Denmark and Greenland decide questions that concern them".

The piece describes the UK's deal, as portrayed last May, as a limited tariff arrangement covering cars, beef, aerospace, ethanol and steel, with a 10% tariff on other exports from salmon to bone china. It says the EU deal is broader but car exports are carved out and most other products, including wine and spirits, face a 15% all‑inclusive tariff.

Businesses have been forced to absorb the 10% tariff or pass it on to US customers, and a further 10% would hit US consumers harder. The article says the threat is being seen as an attempt to divide Europe and quash opposition to Trump's Greenland takeover ambition. Both the EU and the UK are in sensitive negotiations to reduce tariffs he has already imposed, particularly on steel, which it rates at 25% for British exports and 50% for EU products.

Key Topics

World, Donald Trump, Norway, European Union, Greenland