US President, Donald Trump has said that he may impose tariffs on countries that do not back his plan to control Greenland.
During an unrelated event at the White House about rural health care, he recounted how he had threatened European allies with tariffs on pharmaceuticals.
“I may do that for Greenland too. 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.”
Donald Trump
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.”
Trump has said that 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 this week with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The meeting failed to resolve the big differences, but produced 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.
European nations this week sent small numbers of military personnel to the island at Denmark’s request.
Trump’s special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry said in an interview today that 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. 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.”
Jeff Landry
Bipartisan Congressional Delegation Seeks To Lower Tensions Over Greenland
Meanwhile, Trump’s statement came as a bipartisan Congressional delegation sought to lower tensions in the Danish capital.
A bipartisan delegation of US lawmakers met the leaders of Denmark and Greenland in Copenhagen today, seeking to “lower the temperature” with assurances of congressional support after President Donald Trump’s threats to seize the Arctic island.
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.
At a press conference after their meeting with parliamentary colleagues from Denmark and Greenland, Democratic Senator Chris Coons said that the visit was mostly to listen to Denmark and Greenland’s comments, and relay them back to the US.
“Are there real, pressing threats to the security of Greenland from China and Russia? No, not today.Are there real opportunities for us to partner through Nato to contribute to Arctic security? Yes, and if we ask respectfully and plan together, we can achieve that goal.Are there opportunities to develop sustainably the resources of Greenland, if that’s of interest to American companies? Yes.”
Chris Coons
He added that there’s a lot of rhetoric, but there’s “not a lot of reality in the current discussion in Washington,” saying the lawmakers would seek to “lower the temperature” on returning home.
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski also stated that the purpose of the visit was to send a clear message from the Congress that “Greenland needs to be viewed as our ally, not as an asset.”
She noted that the US delegation “heard about the concerns and the fears directly from the people of Greenland,” and on “more broadly what this means, not just to to Denmark to Greenland, but to the NATO alliance.”
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