BRUSSELS – Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, warned that “Europe won’t be blackmailed” as EU leaders weighed their response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to levy new tariffs on eight European allies unless they back his proposed takeover of Greenland. The countries targeted-Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK-issued a joint statement cautioning that the plan risks a “dangerous downward spiral,” and pledged to “stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland.”
The flare‑up thrusts the Arctic-long a quiet corner of alliance cooperation-into the center of transatlantic politics. Trump says Greenland is “critical for US security” and has not ruled out taking it “the easy way” or “the hard way,” rhetoric that has triggered public protests in Nuuk and Copenhagen and a rare emergency EU gathering in Brussels on Sunday. European capitals fear a tariff escalation that could roil the world’s deepest economic relationship while destabilizing the legal architecture that governs the Arctic and NATO.
Allied pushback and a high‑stakes week ahead
In their coordinated message, the eight governments said: “Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations,” and reiterated they are “committed to strengthening Arctic security as a shared transatlantic interest” as NATO members. “We stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind,” the statement read, in what diplomats described as an implicit reminder that NATO is a defensive alliance bound by the North Atlantic Treaty, not a vehicle for territorial bargaining.
Separately, Frederiksen posted on Facebook: “We want to cooperate and we are not the ones seeking conflict. And I am happy for the consistent messages from the rest of the continent: Europe will not be blackmailed.”
The U.S. president has warned he will impose a 10% tariff on goods from the eight countries starting 1 February-rising later to 25%-until a deal is reached. “These Countries, who are playing this very dangerous game, have put a level of risk in play that is not tenable or sustainable,” he wrote, adding: “This is a very dangerous situation for the Safety, Security and Survival of our Planet.” French President Emmanuel Macron, coordinating Europe’s response, said he would request the EU activate its anti‑coercion instrument if tariffs are imposed, a move that would require a qualified‑majority decision by EU governments and mark the first use of the bloc’s new economic‑defence tool.
Trump, who is due to speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday on the theme “how can we co‑operate in a more contested world?”, will be joined there by Macron and senior EU leaders. NATO Secretary‑General Mark Rutte said he had spoken to Trump “regarding the security situation in Greenland and the Arctic,” adding: “We will continue working on this, and I look forward to seeing him in Davos later this week.” Rutte became NATO chief on 1 October 2024, taking over from Jens Stoltenberg, and has made alliance cohesion in a contested security environment his signature theme.
Greenland’s status in law-and why it matters
Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. The Act on Greenland Self‑Government, in force since 21 June 2009, recognizes the Greenlandic people as a people under international law with the right to self‑determination and allows Nuuk to assume additional domestic competencies; Copenhagen retains responsibility for foreign, security and defense policy. The law also codifies an agreed framework for sharing any future subsoil revenues-crucial to debates about Arctic minerals and rare earths-between Greenland and Denmark.
Greenland withdrew from the European Communities in 1985 via the “Greenland Treaty,” shifting to association with the EU as an Overseas Country and Territory (OCT)-a status that provides tailored trade access and development cooperation but does not make Greenland part of the EU or its single market. The current EU‑OCT decision, adopted in 2021, includes specific provisions for Greenland and a 2021‑2027 financial envelope; the European Parliament’s research services last week reviewed proposals to update that framework for 2028‑2034, underscoring how EU budget and development rules still shape the island’s economic options even after its departure from the bloc.
The security picture: a linchpin outpost at the top of the world
For Washington, Greenland’s location astride polar flight paths has anchored North American early‑warning networks since the Cold War. The United States operates at Pituffik Space Base (renamed from Thule Air Base in April 2023), home to missile‑warning and space‑surveillance assets that feed into U.S. and NATO command structures.
U.S. basing rests on the 1951 U.S.-Denmark Agreement relating to the Defense of Greenland, concluded under NATO auspices; it recognizes Danish sovereignty while enabling U.S. forces to use facilities in Greenland for the defense of Greenland and the North Atlantic Treaty area, subject to consultation with Danish authorities. The agreement remains in force and is widely seen in Copenhagen as proof that security arrangements can be deepened without altering sovereignty.
Washington also reopened its consulate in Nuuk in June 2020, expanding diplomatic engagement with Greenland and the broader Kingdom of Denmark and signalling a more direct U.S. role in Arctic governance.
Europe’s new trade shield
Macron’s reference to the EU’s anti‑coercion instrument signals that Brussels is prepared to counter tariff pressure with calibrated, WTO‑consistent countermeasures if dialogue fails. The instrument, a 2023 EU regulation on protecting the Union and its member states from economic coercion by third countries, allows the EU-after determining that a third country is applying or threatening coercive measures-to respond with steps ranging from increased duties to restrictions on services or procurement, with the explicit aim of de‑escalating and inducing the withdrawal of coercion.
The broader stakes are substantial. The EU and U.S. anchor the world’s most integrated economic relationship: in 2024, bilateral trade in goods and services topped roughly €1.68 trillion, according to the Council of the EU; U.S. figures similarly place the 2024 total near $1.5 trillion. Any prolonged tariff confrontation would reverberate across sectors from pharmaceuticals and machinery to aerospace and energy, and could complicate ratification of the new transatlantic trade framework negotiated in 2025.
Public opinion-and politics far beyond Brussels
Public anger in both Denmark and Greenland has sharpened. Demonstrations took place in Nuuk on Saturday-before the tariff announcement-and in Danish cities over the weekend, with protesters carrying Greenlandic and Danish flags and placards denouncing “economic blackmail.” A Reuters/Ipsos poll released last Wednesday indicated just 17% of Americans support the U.S. taking Greenland, compared to 47% who said they oppose Trump’s push to acquire the island. The island’s representative to the U.S. said that when Greenlanders were asked in January 2025 whether they wanted to be part of the U.S., only 6% favored doing so, while 85% were against, reinforcing Copenhagen’s position that there is no democratic mandate for a transfer.
The White House has doubled down. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that “Greenland can only be defended if it is part of the US, and it will not need to be defended if it is part of the US,” adding: “I believe that the Europeans will understand that this is best for Greenland, best for Europe and best for the United States.” His comments place security front and center in Washington’s public case, even as European leaders argue that defense cooperation cannot be conditioned on ceding territory.
Canada, a key Arctic and NATO partner, is also stepping in. Prime Minister Mark Carney said his government was “concerned by the recent escalation,” would be “significantly increasing Arctic security – strengthening our military and investing in critical infrastructure,” and wrote on X: “Canada strongly believes that the best way to secure the Arctic is by working together within Nato.” Ottawa’s message, diplomats say, is that Arctic security should be reinforced through existing alliance frameworks, not unilateral redrawing of the map.
“Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations,” the eight European countries said, pledging they “stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland.”
How Greenland fits into Europe’s and NATO’s frameworks
- 1951: Denmark and the United States sign the Defense of Greenland Agreement under NATO, enabling U.S. operations in Greenland while affirming Danish sovereignty.
- 1979: Home Rule established; 2009: Self‑Government Act enters into force, recognizing the Greenlandic people’s right to self‑determination and expanding autonomous competences; Copenhagen retains foreign, security and defense policy.
- 1985: Greenland leaves the European Communities and becomes associated with the EU as an OCT, a status later updated by the EU’s 2021 Overseas Association Decision.
- 2020: The United States reopens its consulate in Nuuk, strengthening its diplomatic footprint.
- 2023: Thule Air Base is officially renamed Pituffik Space Base by the U.S. Space Force, underscoring space and early‑warning missions on the island.
- 2023: The EU adopts the Anti‑Coercion Instrument, allowing proportionate countermeasures to defend against economic coercion by third countries; the Greenland standoff is now testing whether member states are willing to deploy it for the first time against a U.S. administration.
On the ground: a strategic island with a small population
Greenland’s population is roughly 56,700, concentrated around the southwest, with Nuuk home to about 20,000 residents. Fisheries dominate exports, while public finance is underpinned by a Danish block grant linked in law to the island’s potential resource revenues. The island’s geography-between North America and the High North-makes it central to early‑warning networks and maritime surveillance, but also leaves it heavily exposed to decisions taken in distant capitals.
It is still unclear how the threatened U.S. tariffs would interact with measures already imposed on the UK and the EU. As of Sunday, 18 January 2026, EU ministers had convened in Brussels, Washington’s tariffs are slated to begin on 1 February, and leaders from both sides are preparing to take the dispute to Davos in parallel with NATO consultations-testing, all at once, the resilience of transatlantic trade rules, alliance solidarity and the legal guarantees that underpin Greenland’s status.
