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- Protest reaction: The EU is trying to develop a unified response to the US threats over Greenland
Protest reaction: The EU is trying to develop a unified response to the US threats over Greenland
Europe is preparing retaliatory measures against the United States amid Washington's pressure over Greenland. On January 19, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met in Brussels with the Danish Defense Minister and the Greenland Foreign Minister to discuss security measures in the Arctic and the North Atlantic. At the same time, American leader Donald Trump reiterated that he would not agree to "anything less than owning Greenland," and the White House threatened a "tariff ladder" for a number of European countries. However, the EU's response is unlikely to be sensitive for the United States, according to the expert community. There is a split within Europe, and each country will independently overcome this situation. At the same time, in the case of Greenland's annexation, Trump would receive a "historic" territorial acquisition. About the possibilities of Brussels in the confrontation with Washington — in the material of Izvestia.
Europe is preparing a response
The split in NATO is intensifying. On January 19, Alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte received the Danish Minister of Defense and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greenland at the alliance headquarters in Brussels. Formally, the parties discussed security and defense in the Arctic and North Atlantic, but in fact, they discussed growing concerns about the US claims to the island.
Amid growing concern in the alliance, the media are reporting on increased security measures. Danish intelligence has advised some departments and police districts not to use Bluetooth headphones and AirPods on duty due to the risk of wiretapping. Prior to this, it was reported that a year ago, an unnamed American military man confidentially contacted the Danish Arctic Command in Greenland with requests for military installations, ports and air bases on the island.
In response to the appearance of this information, the US Embassy stated that contacts on security issues in the Arctic should not surprise anyone. Moreover, this topic has been brought to a bilateral level. Donald Trump continues to repeat that Danish autonomy is directly related to the security of the United States, and emphasizes that Denmark is still "threatened" by Russia. He explained that he was not ready to agree "to anything less than owning Greenland."
The Kremlin, in turn, does not comment on the allegations about "Russia's interests in Greenland." At the same time, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president, agreed that Donald Trump would go down in world history if he resolved the issue of Greenland's annexation. The expert community notes that Trump could not just enter the history of the United States — his portrait will be carved on Mount Rushmore along with other presidents, and he already has a draft of this monument in his office.
— This will be the largest territorial acquisition for the United States. Bigger than any other before that. This is the territory of France, Germany, Italy and Britain combined," military expert Andrei Klintsevich said in a conversation with Izvestia.
In addition, if Washington gains control of Greenland, the United States will become the second largest country in the world, overtaking Canada. At the same time, it is Canada that can follow Greenland, Klintsevich is sure. Ultimately, we will be talking about creating a superstate that will be the largest geographically, economically and demographically.
However, the pressure is not only political in nature. To confirm the seriousness of its intentions, Washington threatened to impose duties on countries that actively oppose the US plans. Starting from February 1, the White House intends to introduce a "tariff ladder" — an additional 10% on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland and the United Kingdom, with an increase to 25% from June 1. The US statement followed the decision of these countries to send a small military contingent to Greenland. Trump confirmed that he is "100% determined" to impose duties against European countries if a deal on Greenland is not reached.
How can the Europeans react
Brussels is already preparing a counter—tariff scenario: one of the options is the introduction of duties in the amount of €93 billion, which can automatically enter into force on February 6 after a six-month break. However, such measures can also hurt the Europeans themselves. According to Eurostat, in 2025, the EU had a surplus in trade in goods with the United States, and the share of American products in the total turnover of the European Union cannot be called dominant — that is, tariff escalation does not guarantee the EU advantages.
MEP Thierry Mariani believes that the retaliatory duties of the European Union can hit Trump hard, especially ahead of the midterm elections in the United States, but they will harm the union itself. In his opinion, the macroeconomic effect will be limited in time, while "long-term risks will fall on European industry, agriculture and consumers, who are already squeezed by inflation and ideological decisions of Brussels."
— Who seriously believes that the European Union will go all out against Washington? Of course, not those who have been methodically "tying" Europe to the United States for years: energy dependence on American gas, strategic subordination to NATO, adoption of the dollar and extraterritorial sanctions," the French politician said in a conversation with Izvestia.
Separately, an instrument that has never been used so far is being discussed in Europe — the Anti-Coercion Instrument (ACI). It is proposed to involve, in particular, the French. It allows you to restrict access to government tenders, investments, or banking activities, as well as restrict trade in services where the United States has an advantage, including digital services.
At the same time, the launch of ACI can quickly lead to an escalation of the trade and economic conflict. We would be talking not only about tariffs on goods, but also about restrictions on services, public procurement and investments. This increases the risk of a mirror response from the United States and the emergence of a chain of reciprocal measures, as well as intensifying disputes within the European Union. Therefore, the ACI is intended as a "last resort", which is resorted to after attempts at negotiations.
However, the United States warns European countries that a possible response to Trump's duties over Greenland would be an "unwise step." This was stated, in particular, by the Head of the Ministry of Finance Scott Bessent at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
However, even with the general solidarity with Denmark, there is no single response within Europe to the economic pressure of the United States. The countries reject Trump's claims to Greenland, but they disagree on the answer.
The countries of Northern Europe are the toughest against the United States. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called the actions of the Americans blackmail against the background of tariff threats, and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stere stressed that "threats have no place among allies."
At the same time, other members are already trying to soften the rhetoric. For example, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had a conversation with Trump amid the crisis and called the tariff threat a mistake. So did British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Germany, apparently, also decided not to go to confrontation with the United States and withdrew its military from the island. However, at the level of rhetoric, Berlin remained at the same level — German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said that Trump had overstepped the bounds of what was acceptable by threatening to annex Greenland from Denmark.
The differences between the EU countries are quite clear, stressed Thierry Mariani. Some are not ready to risk a confrontation with the United States over Greenland.
— Greenland is not just a territory. This is a test. And this test shows one thing: Europe is dependent, divided and unable to choose between political survival and strategic subordination," the politician said.
Each country will make personal decisions on how to interact with Americans, Andrei Klintsevich believes. The EU still has a certain margin of safety, but it won't last long. According to him, Trump can very easily "spin" the topic of tariffs — today 10%, then 25%, but for EU states it will be an unbearable amount. Each country will begin to withdraw from this race separately, the military expert concluded.
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