European leaders have issued a rare, unusually strong warning after President Donald Trump targeted eight European countries with a threatened 10% tariff linked to their opposition to American control of Greenland. In a joint statement, the countries said the tariff threat could “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” escalating tensions among close allies.
The statement came nearly a day after Trump’s announcement and signaled what the Associated Press described as a possible turning point in the dispute over Greenland’s sovereignty and security. It also marked the most forceful rebuke of Trump by the European allies since he returned to the White House almost a year ago, after months in which European leaders had largely tried to manage relations through diplomacy.
Eight countries issue joint warning
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland jointly criticized Trump’s threatened tariff and said it raised the risk of worsening retaliation. The countries said they “stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland” and said they were ready for dialogue “based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The joint statement also addressed a military training presence on the island, saying troops sent to Greenland for an operation called “Arctic Endurance” posed “no threat to anyone.” The Associated Press reported that some European countries were sending troops to Greenland for a Danish military training exercise, and that this appeared to be a shift away from a more cautious approach toward Trump.
Trump links tariffs to Greenland dispute
Trump’s announcement set up what the Associated Press called a potentially dangerous test of U.S. partnerships in Europe. The report said Trump appeared to indicate he was using tariffs as leverage to force talks over the status of Greenland, which it described as a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark that Trump regards as critical to U.S. national security.
The European countries’ statement warned directly that tariff threats could damage shared ties, saying they “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.” The Associated Press described the group as some of America’s closest allies, highlighting how unusual the coordinated criticism was.
Questions over how tariffs would work
The report raised immediate questions about how the White House could implement targeted tariffs because the European Union functions as a single economic zone for trade. It also said it was unclear how Trump could act under U.S. law, though it noted he could cite emergency economic powers that are currently subject to a U.S. Supreme Court challenge.
Six of the targeted countries are part of the 27-member EU, and the report said it was not immediately clear whether Trump’s tariffs would affect the entire bloc. It added that EU envoys scheduled emergency talks on Sunday evening to determine a potential response.
EU leaders warn of wider consequences
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said China and Russia would benefit from divisions between the U.S. and Europe. In a social media post, she said Greenland’s security could be addressed inside NATO and warned that tariffs could make Europe and the United States poorer and “undermine our shared prosperity.”
The Associated Press said Europe has been trying to keep Trump on its side to ensure continued U.S. support for Ukraine, including intelligence sharing and possible involvement in security guarantees linked to any peace agreement with Russia. Those broader strategic concerns now sit alongside the new fight over trade threats tied to Greenland.
Analysts and politicians react
Rasmus Søndergaard, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, called Trump’s announcement “unprecedented,” saying tariff threats normally stem from trade disputes rather than territorial disputes between allies. He said Europe cannot compete militarily but the EU can respond with economic tools such as reciprocal tariffs, while also warning that retaliation could hurt both European and American economies.
In the United States, Sen. Mark Kelly, an Arizona Democrat and former U.S. Navy pilot, criticized the threatened tariffs and said Americans would “pay more to try to get territory we don’t need.” In his social media post, he also wrote that troops from European countries were arriving in Greenland “to defend the territory from us,” and warned about damage to U.S. relationships and reputation.
Blowback from allies, including in Italy and Britain
Italy’s right-wing premier Giorgia Meloni, described in the report as one of Trump’s closest allies in Europe, said she had spoken with Trump and called the tariffs “a mistake.” Meloni also said the deployment of small numbers of troops by some European countries was misunderstood by Washington and was not aimed at the U.S., but at providing security against “other actors” she did not identify.
Jordan Bardella, president of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party in France and a European Parliament lawmaker, posted that the EU should suspend last year’s tariff deal with the United States and described Trump’s threats as “commercial blackmail.” The Associated Press also reported that Trump’s tariff threat drew rare across-party criticism in Britain, including from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said the move was “completely wrong” and would be pursued directly with the U.S. administration.
