US President Donald Trump has threatened sweeping tariffs against eight European countries after they opposed his renewed push for the United States to purchase Greenland, according to a Reuters report. Using trade policy as leverage, Trump said the tariffs would remain in place until a deal is reached allowing the US to acquire the strategically important Arctic territory.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced that 10% tariffs would be imposed starting February 1, 2026 on imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. These tariffs would then rise to 25% on June 1, 2026, and continue indefinitely unless Greenland is sold to the US.
Denmark administers Greenland as an autonomous territory, and has repeatedly rejected any notion of selling it.
“We have subsidized Denmark, and all of the Countries of the European Union, and others, for many years by not charging them Tariffs,” Trump wrote. “Now, after Centuries, it is time for Denmark to give back — World Peace is at stake!”
Trump reiterated his long-standing claim that China and Russia “want” Greenland, dismissing Denmark’s ability to defend the island. Mocking Copenhagen’s security presence, he remarked that Denmark had “two dogsleds as protection, one added recently.”
Referring to himself in the third person, Trump claimed that only the US — “under PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP” — could ensure Greenland’s security, arguing that American control was vital for both US national security and global stability.
He also accused several European nations of engaging in “a very dangerous game” by sending military personnel to Greenland, an apparent reference to the NATO exercise ‘Arctic Endurance’, conducted amid rising geopolitical competition in the Arctic region over minerals, shipping routes, and military positioning.
Trump detailed the tariff plan explicitly, stating that duties would apply to “any and all goods” exported to the US from the listed countries until a “Complete and Total purchase of Greenland” is finalised. He claimed that the US has sought to acquire Greenland for over 150 years, but Denmark has consistently refused.
The president added that advanced US weapons systems could protect not just Greenland but also Canada — reviving his controversial earlier suggestion that Canada should become the 51st US state, a proposal firmly rejected by Ottawa.
Trump concluded by saying the US is “immediately open to negotiation” with Denmark and the other affected nations, while reiterating that tariffs remain a legitimate tool to enforce American interests. He has recently used similar pressure tactics against other countries, including threatening higher tariffs on India over its oil imports from Russia.