How Donald Trump’s tariff threat over Greenland risks ‘dangerous downward spiral’
Trump has expressed his wishes to seize control of Greenland
President Donald Trump’s tariff threat over Greenland could risk triggering a ‘dangerous downward spiral’.
This comes after a joint statement was released by the UK, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, which warned that Trump’s threats towards Greenland ‘undermines transatlantic relations’.
In the statement, it reads: “We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland. Building on the process begun last week, we stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind.”
The prime minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo, has also spoken out about the situation, saying: “Finland’s view is that any questions among allies should be resolved through discussions, not through pressure.
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“The US has raised concerns about Arctic security, which is a key issue for Finland.
“We seek to safeguard Arctic security together with all our allies while respecting the territorial integrity of Denmark and Greenland.
“Tariffs would harm both Europe and the US. They do not serve anyone. We are working closely with our European partners and allies.”
Fears are growing that the Nato alliance could be under threat as a result of Trump’s tariff as the other Nato allies have publicly backed Denmark against the US president’s attempts to seize Greenland.
Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen stated that he has ‘no doubt there is strong European support’ for Denmark, adding that Europe is stronger ‘when we collectively show muscle’.
Nato’s secretary general, Mark Rutte, took to social media to share his own update.
On X, formerly Twitter, he wrote: “Spoke with @POTUS regarding the security situation in Greenland and the Arctic. We will continue working on this, and I look forward to seeing him in Davos later this week.”
And it seems like other political figures have been weighing in with Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, offering his own insight during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, where he said: “Denmark is a very strong ally of the United States of America …So, I do think that the current posture, which I hope will change and abate, does threaten to fracture that strong relationship, not just with Denmark, but with all of our Nato allies.”
However, he went on to say that he does want ‘to encourage people around the country to recognize that we have an absolute national security interest in controlling, and I think, ultimately, owning Greenland’.