US President Donald Trump has sparked outrage across Europe with his threat to impose 10% tariffs on eight countries - Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, Netherlands and Finland - for opposing American control of Greenland. The move is being seen as a "dangerous downward spiral" in relations between the US and its European allies.
The tariffs announcement comes as thousands of Greenlanders protested outside the US Consulate in Nuuk, capital city, on Saturday. Mr Trump's statement appears to be using leverage to force talks with Denmark and other European countries over the status of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark that he considers critical to US national security.
European nations have sent troops to Greenland for Arctic security training, which is seen as a response to the dispute. The eight countries have issued a joint statement saying they are committed to strengthening Arctic security and stand united in their response to Mr Trump's tariffs threat.
French Foreign Minister said the EU should use its anti-coercion instrument (ACI) to defend its interests, while Norway and UK are not part of the 27-member EU. It is unclear how Mr Trump can act under US law, with some politicians arguing that he lacks authority to impose tariffs for compelling other nations to sell the US land.
The move has been widely condemned by European politicians, including GOP Rep Mike Turner, who said Mr Trump's threats are "a mistake" and that his allies should not be put in a situation where they have to choose between their friendship with the US and their own national security interests.
Even within Trump's own party, there is opposition to the move. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage criticized the tariffs threat as "commercial blackmail", while U.K Prime Minister Keir Starmer said it was "completely wrong" and his government would pursue it directly with the US administration.
The tariffs announcement comes as thousands of Greenlanders protested outside the US Consulate in Nuuk, capital city, on Saturday. Mr Trump's statement appears to be using leverage to force talks with Denmark and other European countries over the status of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark that he considers critical to US national security.
European nations have sent troops to Greenland for Arctic security training, which is seen as a response to the dispute. The eight countries have issued a joint statement saying they are committed to strengthening Arctic security and stand united in their response to Mr Trump's tariffs threat.
French Foreign Minister said the EU should use its anti-coercion instrument (ACI) to defend its interests, while Norway and UK are not part of the 27-member EU. It is unclear how Mr Trump can act under US law, with some politicians arguing that he lacks authority to impose tariffs for compelling other nations to sell the US land.
The move has been widely condemned by European politicians, including GOP Rep Mike Turner, who said Mr Trump's threats are "a mistake" and that his allies should not be put in a situation where they have to choose between their friendship with the US and their own national security interests.
Even within Trump's own party, there is opposition to the move. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage criticized the tariffs threat as "commercial blackmail", while U.K Prime Minister Keir Starmer said it was "completely wrong" and his government would pursue it directly with the US administration.
, and I'm still on a high from watching the sunset over Milford Sound 
. But anyway, talking about Trump's tariffs thing... have you guys ever tried making your own sourdough bread? It's actually super easy and requires zero equipment other than a jar and some flour! 
I spent hours perfecting my recipe and now I'm hooked on the stuff. Maybe we should start a food blog instead of worrying about tariffs? 
like wut r trump's ppl thinkin lol us govs tryna bully other countries into doin what they want? & now the eu is like "nah, we got ur back" 
meanwhile in greenland tho protests are gettin crazy & thousands r marchin outside the consulate in nuuk u feel me? 
I'm tellin' ya, this whole thing is crazy! 10% tariffs on eight countries over Greenland? It's like somethin' outta a bad Cold War drama 
. And Trump thinks he can just use leverage to get what he wants? Newsflash, Donald: the world doesn't work that way anymore 
.
. It's like they're tryin' to relive the 80s, when Nixon and Gorbachev were goin' at it over Eastern Europe 
.
I swear, sometimes I think people forget that we're all human beings, not chess pieces on a board 
. It's time to put the adult back in the room and figure this out before it's too late 
.
. I get why they're mad - it feels like he's trying to strong-arm them into giving him Greenland 
. The EU is all "we got your back" 
... and don't even get me started on the protests in Nuuk - thousands of people are out there making their voices heard 
. Can we please just have some clear headings and bullet points here to cut through all this noise? 
. It does seem like a pretty aggressive move, especially since Greenland is already tied to Denmark through NATO... but at the same time, I can see how the US might want to assert its influence on the territory.
. And while the EU's got a strong stance against it, it's weird that they're not all on the same page about how to respond... maybe the US should have thought that one through before threatening everyone with trade war 
.
we dont need america telling us what to do just because you think greenland is important for your national security 
. and btw, if you really think its so critical, why not just have a nice conversation with denmark instead of threatening them with tariffs? 
it just comes off as a big ol' tantrum from someone who cant handle losing 
. It's got its own government and everything! And Denmark's not exactly going to cave in just because you threaten 'em with tarriffs 
it's about a bunch of astronauts who go on a wild adventure in space 
and i'm literally counting down the days until i can see it 
anyway back to trump's tariffs thing... yeah idk what's up with him and his america first vibes