Name: Trump threatens UK and seven other European countries with tariffs over Greenland
Uploaded: 2026-01-19T01:50:55.000Z
Duration: 6 min 6 s
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Donald Trump says that world peace is at stake over Greenland.

Participle clauses

He says that China and Russia both want the territory and there was nothing that Denmark can do about it, accusing them of having two dog sleds as protection.

He went on to say that the UK along with other European nations, including France and Germany, had journeyed to Greenland for purposes unknown, a couple accusing them of playing a dangerous game.

While writing on his social media platform, the US President said, therefore it is imperative that in order to protect global peace and security, strong measures be taken so that this potentially perilous situation ends quickly and without question.

Starting on February 1, 2026, all of the above mentioned countries, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Finland, will be charged a 10% tariff on any and all goods sent to the United States of America.

On June 1, 2026, the tariff will be increased to 25%.

This tariff will be due and payable until such time as a deal is reached for the complete and total purchase of Greenland.

Our political correspondent Amanda Acas is in Westminster for us.

This statement from Donald Trump raises the question what kind of fund to European countries, including Britain, of course, prepared to mount for Greenland if diplomacy fails.

To be honest, it's a bit of a disaster, I would say, for Sakir Starmer and the Labour government, who have staked so much on developing this supposedly close, special relationship with Donald Trump, but

also are torn with their desire to maintain that relationship, but

also stand up for NATO and to stand up for a very close European ally in Denmark.

And what we've seen in recent weeks, ever since Donald Trump started once again to begin talking about Greenland and how he wanted to take it over, either by some kind of invasion or through a purchase secure.

Starmer has spoken to him on the phone several times and talked to him about how he recognizes the importance of increasing security in the High North.

He's then gone away to European allies, had phone calls with President Macron of France, Chancellor Merz of Germany, in which he's told them it's very important that we all work together and increase security in the high north.

Just this week, we've seen Yvette Cooper traveling to Scandinavia, Scandinavia to try and reinforce this message, and

then the rather bizarre spectacle of the UK Announcing it's sending just one military officer to Greenland to take part in a reconnaissance exercise as part of a big group international NATO training deployment there, which is yet to be unveiled, which is something that was announced this week.

Now, it seems that it's this that Donald Trump might be referring to when he kind of lists all these countries going to visit Greenland, but

Seems remarkable that the US Wouldn't have been kept informed of what the Europeans were doing there, given the whole point of that, was trying to demonstrate to Donald Trump that he doesn't need to take over Greenland in order to ensure its security, that the Europeans and the rest of NATO are prepared to do their part to step up and help protect Greenland.

But the message in this is very aggressive towards the UK and indeed all those other European partners listed within his statement.

And the economic impact of tariffs, of course, is also something that no government would want, let alone a government that has put economic growth front and center of what it's trying to achieve.

Now, the UK already has 10% tariff on most goods imported to the US under the initial rounds of Donald Trump's tariffs, which at one point were higher and then were kind of reduced.

So we're slightly unclear as to what exactly this would mean, but

he's saying that from June that 10% would increase to 25% unless he gets his way and is able to fully take control of Greenland going forward.

Now, clearly, we know Donald Trump has a strong track record of using tariffs as a way to get his foreign policy ends and bring people to the negotiating table and really try and show the European leaders he wants them to sit up and listen.

But clearly Denmark is really pushing back on this, and the UK has been supporting Denmark.

The UK Government repeatedly saying that the future of Greenland is a matter for the people, people of Greenland and the people of Denmark, that they're a sovereign country, that they're a member of NATO, and

the UK supports whatever decision they want to take.

And the Danish government and the people of Greenland have made it fairly clear that they don't want to be taken over by the US There were talks held on Wednesday which we're told broke down with a fundamental disagreement over the future of the territory.

A working group has been established to try and look at ways forward.

But clearly this latest statement from Donald Trump suggests he doesn't think he's making the progress he wants to see.

Which really raises the specter for all of these governments of a big dilemma to come.

How can they possibly stand up against the might of the United States when it's trying to force through such a huge foreign policy change?

The Prime Minister of Denmark has previously said this would lead to the destruction of NATO and certainly it would be a huge schism.

Donald Trump says he needs Greenland in order to set up missile dome protection system over it.

But currently the US Already has the right to put US Soldiers on green on the territory of Greenland.

And I think there's a real pushback from the Danes about the nature of the threat that he is describing there.

But this is yet another announcement for Donald Trump which has really rocked the global world of diplomacy.