World

US threatens tariff hikes on eight European countries over Greenland dispute

Jan 21, 2026 United States

President Donald Trump announced that the US plans to impose additional tariffs on imports from eight European countries, citing a dispute over Greenland as the reason

From the 1^st of February, an additional 10% tariff will be charged on all goods sent to the US from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland. Trump also announced on a Truth Social post that this tariff will increase to 25% on the 1^st of June if his conditions are not met.

The new tariffs will supplement the existing 10% tariff for the UK and the 15% duty for the other seven countries. All of these nations are NATO allies.

Although Greenland is an autonomous Danish territory, Trump claims that the US needs to control the island for security reasons. Both Denmark and Greenland have rejected proposals to sell the territory. This pressure has prompted Denmark to increase its military presence in Greenland; the other seven countries have also sent small numbers of military personnel to the island.

“Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral”, warned the eight countries in a joint statement published on Sunday, adding they were ready to engage in dialogue, based on principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. At the same time, European leaders are discussing ways to retaliate against the US.

According to several media reports, they are preparing retaliatory tariffs on up to 93 billion euros of US imports and delaying work on the EU-US trade deal, which still requires parliamentary approval. Another option under discussion is an ‘anti-coercion instrument’ that could limit US participation in EU public tenders, investment or banking markets, or restrict trade in surplus service sectors such as digital services.

Image Credits: mynorthwest.com