Trump targets UK, Europe with punitive Tariffs over Greenland standoff

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced sweeping new trade tariffs targeting several European countries over their opposition to his controversial bid to acquire Greenland, injecting fresh tension into relations with key NATO allies.

In a Truth Social post on January 17, 2026, Trump said that from 1 February a 10 per cent tariff will be imposed on all goods exported to the United States from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland.

Unless a deal is reached for the “complete and total purchase of Greenland,” these duties will rise to 25 per cent on 1 June, he said, a move that could reshape transatlantic trade dynamics.

“This tariff will be due and payable until such time as a deal is reached for the complete and total purchase of Greenland,” Trump wrote in his post, framing the levies as leverage in his long-standing campaign to bring Greenland under U.S. control.

Trump has repeatedly insisted that Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark with strategic Arctic positioning and rich mineral resources, is vital to U.S. national security.

He has suggested that rival powers, including China and Russia, could gain a foothold on the island if the U.S. does not act.

The tariff declaration escalates a standoff that has already prompted protests across Europe. Thousands marched through Copenhagen and Nuuk with banners reading “Greenland is not for sale,” denouncing what demonstrators described as an unconstitutional attempt to subsume the island into U.S. control.

European leaders have firmly rejected Trump’s ambitions. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic officials have said decisions about the territory’s future rest with Greenland’s people and Mette Frederiksen Denmark, and have underscored the island’s ties to NATO.

The tariff threat has drawn concern from both sides of the Atlantic. Some European capitals warn that levies on allied exports could disrupt markets and stoke economic unease, while analysts say using trade policy in this way reflects a broader U.S. shift toward coercive economics rather than traditional diplomacy.

Within the United States, reactions are mixed. A bipartisan congressional delegation recently visited Denmark and Greenland to reassure allies, with lawmakers emphasising that most Americans do not support aggressive annexation and urging respect for Greenland’s autonomy.

Some Republican senators have publicly criticised Trump’s strategy, describing the aggressive stance as damaging to long-standing alliances.

The tariff imposition also comes amid broader geopolitical anxieties over Arctic security and global supply chains, as nations increasingly vie for influence in the region. European troops have started participating in Operation Arctic Endurance, a Danish-led military exercise in Greenland, to bolster defense cooperation and deter unilateral actions.