Europe’s response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats might be “unflinching, united, and proportional,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech Tuesday, while expressing solidarity with Greenland and Denmark.
On Saturday, Trump said he would impose a ten per cent import tax starting in February on goods from eight European nations due to their opposition to American control of Greenland.
Greenland is a semiautonomous territory of Denmark, a member of each the European Union and the U.S.-led NATO.
The tariffs are “a mistake, especially between long-standing allies,” von der Leyen said on the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which has seen leaders from everywhere in the world gather.
“Plunging us right into a downward spiral would only aid the very adversaries we’re each so committed to keeping out of the strategic landscape,” she said.
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“Our response might be unflinching, united and proportional.”
The EU’s top official also expressed solidarity with Greenland and Denmark, adding that their sovereignty was “non-negotiable.”
She went on to say that Europe could be open to working with the U.S. on Arctic security.
“We’d like to work with all of our regional partners to strengthen our common security. Because of this we are going to have a look at how one can strengthen our security partnerships with partners equivalent to the U.K., Canada, Norway, Iceland and others,” she added.
Overnight, Trump made a series of posts on his preferred social media platform Truth Social, including a man-made intelligence-generated image of him, U.S. Vice-President JD Vance and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio planting a U.S. flag on Greenland.
Trump also shared a text he said was from NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who said within the text that he was “committed to finding a way forward.”
EU member states are gearing up for an emergency summit to debate Trump’s escalating threats against Greenland later this week because the bloc weighs the usage of its “trade bazooka” in addition to other options in response.
That comes as Trump linked his aggressive stance on Greenland to last yr’s decision to not award him the Nobel Peace Prize, telling Norway’s prime minister that he not felt “an obligation to think purely of Peace,” two European officials said Monday to The Associated Press.
Trump didn’t rule out the usage of force to perform his goal of acquiring Greenland, NBC News reported, citing an exclusive telephone interview with the U.S. news outlet during which Trump was asked if he would use force to seize Greenland.
“No comment,” Trump said.
The president indicated the tariffs were retaliation for last week’s deployment of symbolic numbers of troops from European countries to Greenland, which he has said was essential for the “Golden Dome” missile defence system for the U.S.
The escalating rhetoric from Trump has Europe bracing, with members set to satisfy on Thursday after the weekend saw hundreds of individuals participate in protests against the USA in Denmark and in Greenland’s capital of Nuuk.
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