Washington [US], January 17: US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on countries that do not "agree" to his plan to annex Greenland, a move that has increased tensions with European allies.
Following a week of escalating tensions, in which NATO countries deployed forces to Greenland, President Trump declared that the U.S. could sanction nations that do not support his plan, even not ruling out the possibility of using force to "protect its interests."
Earlier, Jeff Landry, the US Special Envoy to Greenland, affirmed that an agreement for Washington to take over the island "should and will be made." Landry said he expected to visit Greenland in March, and stressed that President Trump was "very serious" about acquiring the resource-rich and strategically located island.
Against this backdrop, a bipartisan delegation of 11 US lawmakers, including Republican Senators Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski, and Democratic Senator Chris Coons, traveled to Copenhagen to meet with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's Premier Jens -Frederik Nielsen. The visit aimed to demonstrate solidarity with Denmark and Greenland, and to protest Trump's threats of military intervention.
This is the second time this week that Trump has used tariffs as a tool to exert pressure. Previously, he announced he would impose a 25% tariff on goods imported from countries that continue to trade with Iran, amid large-scale protests in Tehran.
Earlier this week, the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland met with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. The meeting failed to bridge the deep differences between the two sides, although an agreement was reached to establish a joint working group. However, Denmark and the White House subsequently offered completely contradictory interpretations of the group's goals and scope, according to AP.
On the European side, leaders affirmed that only Denmark and Greenland have the right to decide the future of the territory. Denmark stated that it is increasing its military presence in Greenland in coordination with NATO allies.
On January 15, Prime Minister Frederiksen declared that protecting Greenland was "a shared concern of NATO," amid the deployment of troops from several European nations to the Arctic region. Britain, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden announced the deployment of small numbers of soldiers, primarily in preparation for future exercises.
A spokesperson for the German Ministry of Defence said on January 16 that reconnaissance missions are underway to assess the feasibility of deploying Eurofighter fighter jets to the Arctic. "The core issue is whether the region is secure enough, and what level of contribution we can make alongside our NATO partners," the spokesperson emphasized.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
