Trump says he will impose a 10% tariff on countries that send troops to Greenland
President Trump said on Saturday he would impose a 10% tariff on countries that sent troops to Greenland during his campaign to take over the Arctic island.
Mr. Trump said in the Truth Social post that the tariffs will be imposed on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland and will go into effect on Feb. 1, 2026. All eight countries are members of NATO.
Tariffs will be increased to 25% on June 1, Mr. Trump wrote, and remain in place “until an Agreement is reached for the Full and Total Purchase of Greenland.”
There was no warning from official channels to US allies and NATO partners before Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social Saturday, two European officials told CBS News. Officials from those allied nations feel isolated, frustrated and see this as something that could disrupt US-European relations, many politicians said.
CBS News foreign affairs correspondent Liz Palmer described the Danish military as “symbolic power” and said the military presence “is a signal to Washington that if Trump is concerned about Arctic security, his NATO allies are willing to do their part in helping to take care of it.” In Truth Social, Mr. Trump accused the countries of “going to Greenland, for unknown purposes.”
“These countries, who are playing this very dangerous game, have set the level of risk in a game that is not sustainable or stable,” wrote Mr. “Therefore, it is imperative that, in order to protect Global Peace and Security, strong measures are taken to put an end to this potentially dangerous situation as soon as possible, and without hesitation.”
Mr. Trump said he believes the US needs to buy the island national security reasons. He said this island is important Golden Dome missile defense system intend to build, and express concern about it Russia or China finding Greenland. The sparsely populated island is home to the US’s northernmost military base and storage facilities oil, natural gas and minerals. Its position in the north also means that it is close important shipping lanes that may be even more helpful as warmer temperatures melt the sea ice in the area.
The leaders of the semi-autonomous Danish region have he said over and over again that the island is not sold, and the inhabitants of Greenland have gone he objected to the possible discovery.
Mr Trump’s position came as bipartisan US Congressional delegation tried to strengthen the leaders of Greenland and Denmark during their visit to the Arctic island. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, said Greenland needs to be considered a US ally, “not a property.”
On Friday, Mr. Trump said he was considering the prices in countries that “didn’t go along” with his plans to find Greenland, although he didn’t give specifics.
Greenlandic and Danish leaders met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance in a meeting The White House on Wednesday discussing long-term safety in Greenland. Denmark and the US still have “fundamental” disagreements over the future of Greenland, Denmark’s foreign minister said that afternoon, but a working group to discuss cooperation has been established. A Danish official told CBS that Denmark has offered more access to security and greater investment in defense. The official added that Denmark has set two things as a red line: territorial integrity and the self-determination of the people of Greenland.
The White House has not ruled out the use of military force to take the island, despite warnings from Denmark that doing so would be seen as a threat to the NATO alliance.
