Leaders of EU member states will hold an extraordinary meeting on Greenland “in the coming days”.
President of the Council of the European Union (EU) Antonio Costa stated that, in the context of Greenland, EU member states are united on the principles of international law, territorial integrity and national sovereignty.
Emphasizing that they had agreed to support Denmark and Greenland and recognize transatlantic security interests in the Arctic, especially through NATO, Costa noted that member states also agreed that customs duties announced by Washington would damage transatlantic relations and were inconsistent with the EU-US trade agreement.
Costa also stated that they were similarly thinking about being ready to defend themselves against “all forms of coercion” and continue to cooperate with the United States on issues of mutual interest, announcing that they would hold an extraordinary meeting with the country's leaders “in the coming days.”
TRUMP'S GREEN LAND THREAT
US President Donald Trump stated that his country “needs Greenland for national security purposes” and that it is “very important for the construction of the Golden Dome”.
Following a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the United States, Denmark and Greenland, who were together in Washington, it was stated that fundamental disagreements continued and noted that the United States' “desire to occupy Greenland is clear.”
Greenland, an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark, has previously rejected approaches from the United States, including a transfer of sovereignty.
Denmark has recently called for increased regional military cooperation with its allies. In that context, European countries announced they would send small military units and officers to Greenland.
Trump then argued that world peace was in danger during the Greenland discussions and announced he would impose customs duties on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Finland on the grounds that they oppose the US occupation of Greenland.
Declaring that a 10% customs duty would be imposed on the eight European countries involved in Greenland from February 1, 2026, and that the duty rate would increase to 25% after June 1, 2026, Trump stated that the tariffs would remain that way until an agreement was reached on the full purchase and acquisition of Greenland.
