Trump’s
A joint statement from the eight countries singled out by Trump’s tariff threat has just been released.It has been written by Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.”Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral”, they say.We’ll bring you more of their statement shortly – stay with us.
Katie Williams
European Union ambassadors are due to hold an emergency meeting today after Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on eight allies opposed to his proposed takeover of Greenland.A 10% levy will kick in from 1 February, the president says, potentially rising to 25% on 1 June, affecting Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland.
Minister Keir Starmer
Trump says the import taxes will remain in place until “such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland” by the US.UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says imposing tariffs “on allies for pursuing the collective security of Nato allies is completely wrong”, while France’s Emmanuel Macron calls the threat “unacceptable”.
Danish Cities
Demonstrations against Trump’s takeover plans were held in Danish cities as well as Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, on Saturday.An EU ambassadors’ meeting will take place later today. EU diplomats say it will start at 16:00 GMT, Reuters reports.We’ll have the latest throughout the day – stick with us.
Bernd Debusmann Jr Traveling with President Trump
The White House has repeatedly, and explicitly, said that a range of options are available for the US as it seeks to acquire Greenland.Tariffs, as we’ve now seen, are one of those – what else could be on the table?The Trump administration has also floated the possibility of buying Greenland, or even taking it by force.
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Acquiring Greenland
The diplomatic consequences of attacking the territory of a Nato ally, however, would be monumental – a fact which experts say makes it exceedingly unlikely.The US could also “buy” Greenland. But such a transaction would be highly complicated.Any funds would have to be appropriated by Congress, and acquiring Greenland by treaty would require support from two-thirds of the Senate – which experts say would be difficult to secure.
Financial Incentives
The European Union would also have to sign off on the deal, and Denmark has said, firmly, that Greenland is not for sale.A third option could be to ratchet up efforts to win the favour of islanders by short-term financial incentives or the prospect of future economic benefits.If Greenland were nudged towards independence, it could then enter into a partnership with the US.
United Kingdom
US President Donald Trump has announced a new set of tariffs for a swathe of countries that export goods to the US, beginning on 1 February.Trump says these will remain in place until “such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland” by the US.Writing on social media, Trump says countries including Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland will be “charged a 10% tariff” on “all and any” goods sent to the US.
Breaking News Story
On 1 June, this will be increased to 25%, he writes on Truth Social.As a reminder, tariffs are taxes on imported goods, and are usually paid to the government by companies bringing in foreign products.This is a breaking news story – we’ll bring you the latest as we get it.