British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs against allies over Greenland is “completely fallacious” and a trade war is in nobody’s interest.
Trump said Saturday that he would charge a ten per cent import tax starting in February on goods from eight European nations, including the U.K., due to their opposition to American control of Greenland, establishing a potentially dangerous test of U.S. partnerships in Europe. Greenland is a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark.
The president indicated the tariffs were retaliation for last week’s deployment of symbolic numbers of troops from the European countries to Greenland, which he has said was essential for the “Golden Dome” missile defense system for the U.S. He also has argued that Russia and China might attempt to take over the island.
Starmer said Britain supports the “fundamental right” of Greenland and Denmark to choose the long run of the Arctic island.
Starmer, who has worked to forge a powerful relationship with Trump, said the U.K.-U.S. relationship was vital and “we’re determined to maintain that relationship strong, constructive and focused on results.” But he said that doesn’t mean pretending differences don’t exist.
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He said at a news conference in London that “being pragmatic doesn’t mean being passive and partnership doesn’t mean abandoning principles.” But searching for to calm the turmoil, Starmer said Britain will work with allies in Europe, NATO and america and “keep dialogue open.”
He indicated that Britain will not be planning to think about retaliatory tariffs. “We’ve got not got to that stage. My focus is on ensuring we don’t get to that stage,” he said.
Six of the eight countries targeted are a part of the 27-member European Union, which operates as a single economic zone when it comes to trade.
European Council President Antonio Costa said Sunday that the bloc’s leaders expressed “readiness to defend ourselves against any type of coercion.” He is anticipated to convene a summit of the bloc’s leaders later this week.
Denmark’s defense minister and Greenland’s foreign minister are expected Monday to satisfy NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte in Brussels, a gathering that was planned before the newest escalation.
In an announcement beforehand, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said Denmark and Greenland were “meeting broad support for NATO to do more within the Arctic” and would discuss that with Rutte.
© 2026 The Canadian Press