Trump threatens tariffs over Greenland, calls it vital for security

US delegation seeks to lower US-Denmark-Greenland tensions amid Trump’s threats of tariffs and control claims.

US President Donald Trump says he may impose tariffs on countries that don’t back the United States’s claim to control Greenland, a message that came as a bipartisan congressional delegation sought to lower tensions in the Danish capital.

Since Trump returned to the White House in January, he has repeatedly insisted that the US control Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, and said earlier this week that anything less than the Arctic island being in US hands would be “unacceptable”.

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During an unrelated event at the White House about rural healthcare, he recounted on Friday how he had threatened European allies with tariffs on pharmaceuticals.

“I may do that for Greenland too,” Trump said. “I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that,” he said.

Trump has said Greenland is vital to US security because of its strategic location and large supply of minerals, and has not ruled out the use of force ⁠to take it.

He had not previously mentioned using tariffs to try to force the issue.

Earlier this week, the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland met in Washington with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

That encounter didn’t resolve the big differences, but did produce an agreement to set up a working group — on whose purpose Denmark and the White House then offered sharply diverging public views.

European leaders have insisted that only Denmark and Greenland can decide matters concerning the territory, and Denmark said this week that it was increasing its military presence in Greenland in cooperation with allies.

A bipartisan delegation of US lawmakers met the leaders of Denmark and Greenland in Copenhagen on Friday, seeking to “lower the temperature” with assurances of congressional support to recognise Greenland as an ally, not property, after Trump’s threats to seize the Arctic island.

European nations this week sent small numbers of military personnel to the island at Denmark’s request.

The 11-member US delegation, led by Democratic Senator Chris Coons, met Danish Prime ​Minister Mette Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart Jens-Frederik Nielsen, as well as Danish and Greenlandic parliamentarians.

“There’s a lot of rhetoric, but there’s not a ‍lot of reality in the current discussion in Washington,” Coons told reporters following the meetings, saying the politicians would seek to “lower the temperature” on returning home.

Looking for a deal

Trump’s special envoy to Greenland also said on Friday he plans to visit the Danish territory in March and believes a deal can be made.

“I do believe that there’s a deal that should ‍and ⁠will be made once this plays out,” Jeff Landry told Fox News in an interview on Friday, as the ​US delegation met the Danish and Greenlandic leaders.

“The president is ‌serious. I think he’s laid ‌the markers down. He’s ⁠told Denmark what he’s looking for, and now it’s a matter ‌of having Secretary [of State Marco] Rubio and Vice President JD ‍Vance make a deal.”