Trump Slaps 10% Tariff On European Countries Over Greenland, Warns Of 25% Hike By June

Last Updated:January 17, 2026, 22:18 IST

Donald Trump said that the tariff would be raised to 25% from June 1, 2026, unless a broader agreement is reached.

US President Donald Trump (IMAGE: REUTERS)

US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) imposed a 10% tariff on goods imported from several European nations in a bid targeting countries that may not side with his plans to take over Greenland.

In a post on Truth Social, the US President said the tariff would take effect on February 1, 2026, and apply to imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Finland. He added that the tariff would be raised to 25% from June 1, 2026, unless a broader agreement is reached.

“This Tariff will be due and payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland," he said.

Trump claimed that the United States has long subsidized Denmark and other European countries by not imposing tariffs, and argued that the arrangement should end in light of geopolitical threats. He said that Greenland has become a focal point of international interest, particularly from China and Russia, and asserted that Denmark cannot adequately protect the territory.

“World Peace is at stake! China and Russia want Greenland, and there is not a thing that Denmark can do about it. They currently have two dogsleds as protection, one added recently. Only the United States of America, under PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP, can play in this game, and very successfully, at that! Nobody will touch this sacred piece of Land, especially since the Security of the United States, and the World at large, is at stake," he said.

The US President further claimed that several European countries have undertaken unspecified activities in Greenland that he characterised as dangerous to global stability.

He asserted that Washington has sought to acquire Greenland for more than 150 years and argued that modern missile defense initiatives, which he referred to as “The Golden Dome," make Greenland strategically essential. He claimed the territory is necessary for the system to operate at full effectiveness due to geographic and technical considerations.

“The United States of America is immediately open to negotiation with Denmark and/or any of these Countries that have put so much at risk, despite all that we have done for them, including maximum protection, over so many decades," he added.

Earlier on Friday, Trump had threatened of mounting additional tariffs on countries that may not side with his plans to take over Greenland.

While at an event at the White House about rural health care, he recalled how he had threatened European allies with tariffs on pharmaceuticals.

“I may do that for Greenland too," the US leader said on Friday (US time). “I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that."

For years, Trump has expressed his desire that the United States should control Greenland, the world’s largest island. He claimed that the US needs mineral-rich Greenland and has accused Denmark of not doing enough to ensure its security against US rivals Russia and China.

European nations who are members of NATO have in recent days shown their support for Denmark and Greenland over Trump’s escalating threats, including by sending troops to the strategic territory.

A bipartisan US Congress delegation also began a visit to Copenhagen on Friday to voice their backing for Denmark and Greenland.

The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland visited the White House on Wednesday for talks to defuse the issue but said afterward that they remained in “fundamental disagreement" with Trump.

Britain, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have announced the deployment of small numbers of military personnel to prepare for future exercises in the Arctic.

This is a developing story

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