In a surprising move, US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on nations that do not support his ambitions to annex Greenland, a self-governing territory controlled by Denmark. Trump made the remarks during a White House meeting, stating, “I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security.”
The announcement comes as a bipartisan congressional delegation is visiting Greenland to show support for the territory. The group, which includes both Republican and Democratic lawmakers, has expressed concerns about the president’s calls for the US to acquire Greenland, citing national security reasons.
Senator Chris Coons, the leader of the delegation, said their trip was to listen to the local views and take them back to Washington “to lower the temperature.” Trump has previously stated that Greenland is vital for US security and that the US would get it “the easy way” or “the hard way” – an apparent reference to either buying the island or taking it by force.
Greenland, a resource-rich but sparsely populated territory, is strategically located between North America and the Arctic, making it an important location for early warning systems and monitoring vessels in the region. The US already has more than 100 military personnel permanently stationed at its Pituffik base, a missile-monitoring station on Greenland’s north-western tip that has been operated by the US since World War Two.
However, Trump’s threats have been met with opposition from both Denmark and Greenland, as well as from US allies within NATO. Denmark has warned that military action would spell the end of the transatlantic defence alliance, and several European countries, including France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands, and the UK, have dispatched a small number of troops to Greenland in a so-called reconnaissance mission.
The visit of the US congressional delegation comes just days after high-level talks in Washington failed to dissuade Trump from his plans. While the majority of the group are staunch opponents of the president, it also includes moderate Republican Senators, such as Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski.
Greenlandic MP Aaja Chemnitz expressed hope following the meeting with US legislators, stating, “We need friends. We need allies.” However, she acknowledged that the pressure from the US side is something they have seen since 2019 and that “it’s changing almost hour by hour.”
The situation remains fluid, with the US envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, suggesting that the US should talk with Greenland’s leaders, not Denmark. Landry believes that “there’s a deal that should and will be made once this plays out,” and that the president is serious about his plans.
As the international community closely monitors the developments, the tension between the US and its allies over Greenland’s future continues to escalate, raising concerns about the potential impact on the delicate balance of power in the Arctic region.
