Berlin — Europeans were concerned on Sunday by US President Donald Trump’s announcement Eight countries will face a 10% tariff To oppose American control of Greenland.
Reactions to Trump’s decision on Saturday ranged from saying it risked a “dangerous downward spiral” to predicting that “China and Russia should have a busy day.”
Trump’s threat poses a potentially serious test for US partnerships in Europe. Several European countries have sent troops to Greenland in recent days, saying they are there Arctic security training. Trump’s announcement came on Saturday Thousands of Greenlanders They were ending a protest outside the US consulate in The capital is Nok.
The Republican president appeared to indicate that he was using the tariffs as leverage to force talks with Denmark and other European countries over the status of Greenland, a semi-autonomous region in NATO ally Denmark, which he considers crucial to American national security. Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland will face the tariff.
There are immediate questions about how the White House could try to implement tariffs because the EU is a single economic zone in terms of trade, according to a European diplomat who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. It was also not clear how Trump might act under US law, although he might cite emergency economic powers that are currently subject to law. US Supreme Court challenge.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said China and Russia would benefit from divisions between the United States and Europe. “If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this within NATO. Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermining our shared prosperity,” she added in a social media post.
Trump’s move was also met with local criticism.
US Senator Mark Kelly, Former US Navy pilot The Democratic representative representing the state of Arizona posted that the tariffs that Trump threatened on US allies will make Americans “pay more to try to obtain lands that we do not need.”
“Forces from European countries are arriving in Greenland to defend the region against us. Let this take hold,” he wrote on social media. “The damage this president is doing to our reputations and relationships is growing, making us less safe. If something doesn’t change, we will be alone with adversaries and enemies in every direction.”
Norway and the United Kingdom are not part of the 27-member European Union, which functions as a single economic area in terms of trade. It was not immediately clear whether Trump’s tariffs would affect the entire bloc. European Union envoys are scheduled to hold emergency talks on Sunday evening to determine a possible response.
Antonio Costa, President of the European Council, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, pledged to continue their full solidarity with Denmark and Greenland.
“Tariffs will undermine transatlantic relations and risk a serious deterioration. Europe will remain united, coordinated and committed to upholding its sovereignty,” they wrote in a joint statement late on Saturday.
The tariff announcement even sparked negative reactions from Trump’s populist allies in Europe.
Jordan Bardella, head of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party in France, who is also a member of the European Parliament, said the EU should suspend last year’s agreement. Tariff deal With the United States, describing Trump’s threats as “commercial blackmail.”
Trump also achieved the rare feat of uniting Britain’s main political parties – including the far-right Reform UK Party – who have all criticized the tariff threat.
“We don’t always agree with the US government, and in this case we certainly don’t. These tariffs will hurt us,” UK reform leader Nigel Farage, a champion and longtime ally of Trump, wrote on social media. He stopped short of criticizing Trump’s plans for Greenland.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who leads the center-left Labor Party, said the tariff announcement was “completely wrong” and that his government “will pursue this matter directly with the US administration.”
The foreign ministers of Denmark and Norway are also expected to address the crisis on Sunday in Oslo during a press conference.
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Lister reported from Paris and Cooke from Brussels. Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London and Josh Boak in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.