At a Glance
- EU ambassadors will convene in Brussels after Trump threatens tariffs on eight member nations until the U.S. can buy Greenland
- European Parliament leaders and U.S. lawmakers vow to block trade deal and tariffs
- Greenland and Denmark reject any sale, calling sovereignty “not for sale”
- Why it matters: The standoff threatens NATO unity and could raise prices for American families while freezing a major trans-Atlantic trade pact
The European Union has called an emergency meeting of its ambassadors in Brussels for Sunday after President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on eight EU countries until Washington can purchase Greenland, according to a spokesperson for the Cyprus Presidency of the EU Council who confirmed the plan to News Of Los Angeles.
The move sparked immediate backlash across Europe and in Congress, with leaders on both sides of the Atlantic warning the penalties would backfire on U.S. consumers and fracture NATO solidarity.
EU Leaders Slam Trump’s Tariff Ultimatum
Roberta Metsola, president of the European Parliament, warned the tariffs would embolden adversaries rather than enhance Arctic security.
“The measures against NATO allies announced today will not help in ensuring security in the Arctic,” she wrote on X. “They risk the opposite, emboldening our joint enemies and those who wish to destroy our common values and way of life.”
Metsola emphasized that “Greenland and Denmark have both made clear: Greenland is not for sale and its sovereignty and territorial integrity needs to be respected. No threat of tariffs can or will change that fact.”
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s chief diplomat and vice president of the European Commission, argued Russia and China would exploit the rift.
“They must be having a field day,” she posted, asserting that only America’s rivals benefit from “divisions among Allies.”
Kallas urged NATO to handle any security concerns over Greenland internally and warned the tariffs would “make Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity.”
She added the dispute must not distract from “the core task of helping to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.”
Trade Deal Hangs in the Balance
Key European lawmakers signaled they will freeze final approval of the EU-U.S. trade agreement reached last summer and only partly enacted.
Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s international trade committee, called Trump’s move “unbelievable” and declared a “new line has been crossed.”
“This is no way to treat partners,” he wrote, charging Trump with “using trade as an instrument of political coercion.”
Lange demanded “the trade deal’s implementation process be suspended until U.S. ends its threats.”
Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party, echoed that stance, writing that after the tariff threat, parliamentary approval “is not possible at this stage.”
“The 0% tariffs on U.S. products must be put on hold,” Weber added.
Member of Parliament Siegfried Muresan argued stability was the lone selling point of last year’s pact.
“STABILITY would have been the only gain from last year’s trade deal between the U.S. and the European Union,” he posted, claiming Trump’s announcement “takes away that stability.”
Dutch Officials Coordinate Response
David van Weel, the Netherlands’ foreign affairs minister, said his government is consulting with EU partners.
“Military efforts related to exercises in Greenland are intended to contribute to security in the Arctic region,” he wrote, adding that the Netherlands is “in close contact with the @EU_Commission and partners on our response.”
Bipartisan U.S. Delegation Reassures Allies
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators traveled to Copenhagen on Friday to meet Danish and Greenlandic leaders and reaffirm congressional support amid Trump’s threats.
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., co-chairs of the Senate NATO Observer Group, issued a joint statement from Denmark.
“At a time when many Americans are already concerned about the cost of living, these tariffs would raise prices for both families and businesses,” they said, urging the administration to “turn off the threats and turn on diplomacy.”
The senators emphasized that the targeted nations include “America’s closest allies” who “have fought beside us, died alongside us and have made America safer and more prosperous.”
Senate Democrats Plan Legislative Response
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced Democrats will introduce legislation to block the tariffs, warning they would “do further damage to the American economy and our allies in Europe.”
“Donald Trump’s foolhardy tariffs have already driven up prices and damaged our economy and now he is only making things worse,” Schumer wrote, calling the Greenland purchase push a “quixotic quest.”
Although similar resolutions have cleared the Senate with bipartisan support by a simple 51-vote threshold, such measures are unlikely to advance in the House.
