US President Donald Trump on Friday issued a warning that he could impose tariffs on countries that refuse to support his plan to acquire Greenland, which forms part of NATO ally Denmark’s territory. During an event at the White House, Trump drew parallels to the tariffs he imposed on pharmaceutical imports from the EU as part of his efforts to lower drug prices in the US, and stated, “I may do that for Greenland too. I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security.”
The US President had stated on Wednesday that the United States needed Greenland for its national security interests, warning that Russia or China could otherwise attempt to gain control of the strategically located Arctic territory.
Trump has been frequently repeating his claims that acquiring Greenland is a national security imperative, and that Denmark is not capable of warding off Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic region.
Greenland and Denmark say the island is not for sale, and that threats of force are reckless and security concerns should be resolved among allies. Prominent EU countries have backed Denmark, which is a member of the NATO alliance.
Trump’s new tariff threat comes at a time when a bipartisan US Congress delegation began a visit to Copenhagen to voice support for Denmark and Greenland. The two-day visit comes alongside a European show of support in the form of a military reconnaissance mission to Greenland, the Arctic island which is an autonomous Danish territory.
Trump’s special envoy to Greenland said he planned to visit the Danish territory in March, and that he believed a deal could be done.
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“I do believe that there’s a deal that should and will be made once this plays out,” Jeff Landry said in an interview.
“The president is serious. I think he’s laid the markers down. He’s told Denmark what he’s looking for.”
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