TNS
Picture Credits: gettyimages
Trump told NBC News he’ll impose Greenland-linked tariffs on European allies “100%” unless the island is ceded to the US, then dodged questions on using force. Europe is scrambling to contain the fallout as Davos warnings fly and Brussels signals it has “tools” ready if tariffs land.
Greenland, Trump threatens again: “Tariffs on Europeans? I’ll do it 100%”
“I’ll do it, 100%.” This is how Donald Trump responded to Nbc News when asked if he would go ahead with his plans to impose tariffs on European countries that have sent troops to Greenland, in the absence of an agreement ceding control of the island, a Danish autonomous territory, to the United States.
“**Europe should focus on the war with Russia and Ukraine**, because, frankly, you see how it went. That’s what Europe should focus on, not Greenland,” said the American president, who responded with a “no comment” when asked about the possibility of using force to acquire the island.
Trump **then doubled down on the controversy over the non-award of the Nobel Peace Prize**, directly accusing Norway of influencing the choice of the award, despite official denials from Oslo. After the letter sent to Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, the American president reiterated his accusations in the interview with Nbc News: “Norway controls it, even if they say otherwise. They claim to have nothing to do with the decision, but they decide everything themselves.” A statement that contradicts the repeated explanations of the Norwegian government, according to which the Nobel is awarded by an independent committee and not by the executive.
Any European retaliations to the tariffs announced by Trump would in any case be “very imprudent,” **US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent** warned in the meantime, speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. “I was traveling and haven’t been in contact with European officials – he explained – but I spoke with President Trump and, apparently, many requests are coming in. I think everyone should take the president’s words seriously.”
Bessent also called the hypothesis that Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland was linked to the non-award of the Nobel Peace Prize a “total hoax.”
After Trump’s threat, Europe is meanwhile preparing countermeasures. According to Olof Gill, Deputy Chief Spokesperson for the European Commission, during a press briefing in Brussels, “intense consultations between EU leaders” are underway, and “the priority is to interact” and “avoid an escalation” in relations with the US, “not” to seek “confrontation” with Washington. But if the tariffs threatened by the US were to be actually imposed, the EU “has tools at its disposal and is prepared to react, if necessary,” to “protect the interests” of the Union, he stated. When asked if meetings between von der Leyen and Donald Trump are planned in Davos this week, in the context of the World Economic Forum, the spokesperson replied that he was “not aware of any scheduled meeting,” which does not exclude the “possibility” of a meeting between the two.
Credits: TCA, LLC.