A ten percent tariff will be imposed on goods from Denmark and several other European countries from February 1st due to the situation surrounding Greenland. This was written by US President Donald Trump on his social media, Truth Social, on Saturday.
The other countries are Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Finland. From June 1st, 2026, the tariff will be increased to 25 percent, writes Trump, who has repeatedly expressed a desire to gain control over Greenland. The tariff rate will apply until an agreement is reached on the American "acquisition" of Greenland, writes Trump.
- The US has been trying to complete this trade for over 150 years. Many presidents have tried - and with good reason - but Denmark has always refused, the president writes.
Trump repeats the claim that Greenland is threatened by China and Russia, who "want" the island.
- World peace is at stake, writes the American president.
The message from Trump came at the same time as demonstrations in Denmark and Greenland on Saturday against the United States and Trump's desire to gain control of Greenland.
Trump lashes out against military exercise
During the week, several European countries announced that they would send soldiers to Greenland as part of the military exercise "Operation Arctic Endurance". Trump seems to refer to the exercise in his Truth Social post by writing that a number of countries have "traveled" to Greenland.
- This is a very dangerous situation for the security and survival of the planet. These countries, which are playing this very dangerous game, have introduced a level of risk that is unsustainable, writes Trump.
- Therefore, it is absolutely crucial that strong measures are taken to protect global peace and security, and so that this potentially dangerous situation ends quickly.
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen (M) and the Greenlandic Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vivian Motzfeldt, held a meeting in Washington D.C. on Wednesday with the US Vice President, J.D. Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the situation.
According to Løkke, the parties reached an agreement to establish a working group to discuss the differences between the US and Denmark.
In the tariff announcement on Saturday, the US president did not elaborate on the consequences of the newly announced tariffs for existing agreements. A number of goods from EU countries are already subject to US tariffs. In July 2025, the EU and the US entered into an agreement that set a general tariff ceiling of 15 percent for most goods from the EU to the US.
In 2023, the EU adopted a so-called anti-coercive instrument, which is intended to deter countries outside the EU from putting economic pressure on individual member states.
It has been described as a kind of musket nest between EU countries to stick together in trade policy and respond together. But a possible joint EU response will still have to be adopted by a qualified majority.
/ritzau/
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