Trump floats tariffs on countries opposing his Greenland ambitions
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Jan. 16 that he may impose tariffs on countries that do not back his claim on Greenland.
"I may put a tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that," Trump said in the White House while mentioning his past threats about tariffs on European pharmaceuticals.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has repeatedly laid claim to Greenland, Denmark's semiautonomous island that plays a strategic role in access to the Arctic region. Trump has also often wielded tariffs as a tool of geopolitical coercion.
As Danish and Greenlandic authorities reject Washington's offer to buy the island, the White House has not ruled out the use of military force, despite Denmark being a NATO ally.
Earlier this week, top U.S. officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, met Danish and Greenlandic officials, but the talks failed to achieve a breakthrough.
In the meantime, small groups of European soldiers began arriving in Greenland as European allies voiced support for the territorial integrity of Denmark and Greenland.
Trump has previously accused Copenhagen of not investing enough in the island's security and claimed that, unless the U.S. takes control of Greenland, Russia and China will.
European allies, in turn, warned that any U.S. attempt to seize the island by force could lead to the breakdown in transatlantic relations and the end of NATO.
Greenland's strategic importance has grown as Arctic ice melts, opening new shipping routes and increasing access to mineral resources. The island, home to about 56,000 people, already hosts a U.S. military base.
