By Agency Report
The eight countries, all of them NATO members, reiterated their solidarity with Denmark and Greenland and said dialogue was the way to resolve differences.
“We will continue to stand united and coordinated in our response. We are committed to upholding our sovereignty,” they said in the joint statement.
Trump announced on Saturday that he would impose a 10% tariff on goods from the countries from February 1, rising to 25% from June 1 if no resolution is reached to his satisfaction, which would be the “complete and total purchase” of Greenland.
Troops from those countries had sent troops to Greenland in recent days for a Danish-led reconnaissance mission aimed at strengthening security around Greenland, although Berlin said on Sunday that its soldiers had left.
Trump reacted angrily to the deployments, writing in the same Truth Social post announcing the tariffs that the troops had “journeyed to Greenland, for purposes unknown.”
Trump has often said that Washington needed to control Greenland in order to better protect from Chinese and Russian threats.
“As members of NATO, we are committed to strengthening Arctic security as a shared trans-Atlantic interest,” the eight countries said in their joint statement.
Denmark stands firm
The Arctic island is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and therefore also part of NATO.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen sharply criticised Trump on Sunday, saying Europe would not yield to pressure. “We are not the ones seeking this conflict,” Frederiksen told Danish news agency Ritzau.
“Europe cannot be blackmailed,” she said.
“The Kingdom of Denmark is receiving great support,” Frederiksen said. “At the same time, it is becoming even clearer that this is a matter that extends far beyond our own borders.”
Representatives of the EU’s 27 member states were due to meet later on Sunday in an emergency session.
Denmark, meanwhile, is intensifying diplomatic talks with European allies. Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen will travel to Oslo on Sunday, followed by visits to London and Stockholm this week, with Arctic security and the Greenland dispute high on the agenda.
Macron readies countermeasures
In France, President Emmanuel Macron is preparing to pursue a tough European response, French presidential sources said.
Macron is in contact with his European counterparts and will formally seek to trigger the European Union’s Anti-Coercion Instrument, which allows the bloc to impose countermeasures when economic pressure is used to force political decisions.
Macron is coordinating a European response to what Paris described as Trump’s “unacceptable threats,” and believes Washington’s approach also calls into question the validity of a provisional EU-US tariff deal reached last year, the sources said.
That agreement, which still requires approval by the European Parliament, would see most European goods face a 15% US tariff, while tariffs on US industrial products would be scrapped.
Italy’s Melon speaks to Trump
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni warned on Sunday against an escalation of tensions.
Speaking during a visit to South Korea, Meloni described the dispute as a communication problem and said the NATO mission should not be interpreted as “anti-American.”
Meloni, regarded by European leaders as having relatively good access to Trump, said she had spoken directly with him by phone. “At this stage, it is very important to talk to one another,” she said.
Italy is not directly affected by the tariff threat and is not participating in the Danish-led mission.
Germany backs coordinated European response
In Germany, Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil said Berlin would not be intimidated.
“We will not be intimidated – not by tariffs, not by words, not by threats. We must be clear about that, calm but clear,” said Klingbeil, adding that Europe was being “blackmailed.”
“We are currently coordinating very closely with our European partners. And there will be a European response to this threat and to yesterday’s announcement,” he added. “This is where we draw the line.”
