European leaders on Saturday said the trade deal with the U.S. and the European Union is on hold after President Trump announced new 10 percent tariffs on Denmark and other European countries over his growing rhetoric to acquire Greenland.
President of the European People’s Party (EPP) Manfred Weber said that while there is approval over the trade deal, it will not be approved “given Donald Trump’s threats regarding Greenland.”
“The 0% tariffs on U.S. products must be put on hold,” Weber wrote on the social platform X.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said tariffs “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.” She wrote on X that Europe will uphold its sovereignty and “remain united.”
“Territorial integrity and sovereignty are fundamental principles of international law,” she wrote. “They are essential for Europe and for the international community as a whole. We have consistently underlined our shared transatlantic interest in peace and security in the Arctic, including through NATO. The pre-coordinated Danish exercise, conducted with allies, responds to the need to strengthen Arctic security and poses no threat to anyone.”
“The EU stands in full solidarity with Denmark and the people of Greenland” von der Leyen continued. “Dialogue remains essential, and we are committed to building on the process begun already last week between the Kingdom of Denmark and the US.”
Karin Karlsboro, a Swedish member of the European Parliament, told Politico that lawmakers have not ruled out using the “bazooka,” or the anti-coercion instrument, to push punitive measures in retaliation for the tariffs.
“I see no possibility for the European Parliament to give the green light to move forward with the tariff agreement when we take a decision on Wednesday,” she told the outlet. “Instead, the EU must prepare to respond to President Trump’s tariff attacks, including those targeting Sweden.”
Last July, von der Leyen made the deal with Trump to set tariffs at 15 percent on European goods while the EU will purchase $750 billion worth of energy from the U.S., as well as invest in the U.S. $600 billion more than current investments for other goods.
“I think it’s the biggest deal ever made,” Trump said at a meeting with von der Leyen at his golf course in Turnberry, Scotland.
Von der Leyen praised the deal as one that “will bring stability, it will bring predictability.” She said she wanted to rebalance the U.S. and EU’s trade relationship.
Trump announced the new tariffs will go into effect on Feb. 1 for Denmark, Sweden, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Finland, Norway and the Netherlands. He wrote on Truth Social that the tariffs “will be due and payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland.”
“We have subsidized Denmark, and all of the Countries of the European Union, and others, for many years by not charging them Tariffs, or any other forms of remuneration,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Now, after Centuries, it is time for Denmark to give back — World Peace is at stake! China and Russia want Greenland, and there is not a thing that Denmark can do about it.”
Trump has said the U.S. needs Greenland for national security reasons and has threatened to use military force to take the island territory. The threat led Denmark and other European countries to send troops to Greenland for joint exercises.
Republicans who were part of a bipartisan group of lawmakers who met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen to show their opposition to the president slammed the new tariffs. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) warned that the tariffs would be “bad for America, bad for American businesses, and bad for America’s allies.”
“We are already seeing the consequences of these measures in real time: our NATO allies are being forced to divert attention and resources to Greenland, a dynamic that plays directly into Putin’s hands by threatening the stability of the strongest coalition of democracies the world has ever seen,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) posted on X.