Finnish officials have proposed to the European Union to get rid of dependence on the United States

Finnish MPs have proposed to the European Union (EU) to get rid of dependence on the United States due to the decision of American President Donald Trump to impose duties on a number of European countries for opposing the annexation of Greenland. The Iltalehti newspaper reported this on January 17, citing parliamentarians.

"It has long been clear that Europe needs to free itself from strategic dependence," wrote Atte Kaleva, a member of parliament from the National Coalition Party, in a post on X.

His colleague Jarno Limnell said that the imposition of duties by the United States is not a trade, but a geopolitical power game.

According to former Finnish Foreign Ministry official Henri Vanhanen, the threats were introduced only against those countries that send soldiers or liaison officers to Greenland. But he suggested that the changes would be considered in the White House.

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NBC reported on January 14 that the United States could pay up to $700 billion for the purchase of Greenland if American leader Trump could reach a deal. In turn, Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on January 13 that the island's residents want to stay with Denmark. Later, he noted that he considered the "repeated rhetoric" of the United States regarding the island to be disrespectful and unacceptable.

On January 17, Trump announced that Washington was imposing duties of 10% with the possibility of increasing up to 25% on a number of European countries due to the situation around Greenland. Starting from February 1, 2026, tariffs will apply to Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands and Finland.

Bundestag deputy Sevim Dagdelen, a member of the Sarah Wagenknecht Union party, called on January 17 to withdraw the US military and weapons from Germany because of Trump's statements about the increase in duties for European countries. She added that the planned deployment of American intermediate-range missiles should also be canceled.

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